The IG Chronicles: Contentment
by Lt.Gungirl
Summary: Volume 2! As Rick tries to maintain a normal life the Purist Reich strikes back this time with a devestating blow. Recovering from his battle the cyber detective faces new struggles as the terrorist Charles Abernathy gets closer and closer to taking revenge on Rick. When his most precious belongings are threatened will Rick snap or will he try to do the right thing?
1. Wedding Bells

Grant Jackson put a hand on his friend's shoulder. "You can barely see the scars." He assured. The man who was giving himself one final look over in the mirror was Rick Barnes. He fingered the light traces of the scars and nodded. "I doubt the camera will get them, probably won't really show up."

"I know. Nothin' can be done about it." Rick said adjusting the chocolate colored satin bow-tie around his neck.

"Relax." Grant told him.

"Jess won't even see them." Walter Riggs added as he offered Rick his cufflinks.

"Sure." Rick replied. He was nervous and it was obvious. He put the cufflinks on his sleeves.

"You get cold feet and both Lawrence women will never forgive you." Grant waggled his eyebrows.

Rick quirked his lopsided smile. "Don't I know it."

The three men shared a laugh. He still wished that the scars were gone. Alex had told him it would take a few more weeks before they were fully healed. Hopefully what Grant had said was right, that the camera wouldn't capture them too much.

Rick had had one heck of a time shaving for the past couple months. Now he was in a beautiful little church getting ready for his wedding in an office. They had brought in the mirror.

Rick was uncomfortable in his tuxedo just like always. He ran his fingers over the crisp black lapels. His jet black hair which he normally just combed until it was somewhat tamed was slicked back.

Grant was in a black suit with a brown vest. His hair was combed back. Walter was in a similar suit but he was seated in a wheelchair. His left leg was tapping against the foot rest. The cybernetic replacement of his right leg moved jerkily. He still didn't have full control over it yet.

Rick looked at his left hand. He knew that soon he would be wearing a ring on his finger.

A knock on the door made both men turn. "Come in." Rick called. He shifted his weight. His nervousness was obvious in his inability to stand still.

Alex walked in. She was wearing a tiffany blue dress with a brown ribbon around her waist and shoulder straps. She grinned at the men. "How are we doing?" She asked.

"He's nervous." Grant said.

"Don't worry." Alex looked him over. "You look rather dashing."

"Thanks."

"Now remember, smile and don't worry about your face. I doubt the camera will catch the scars." She hugged him. He wrapped his arms around her. She took a breath of him. "Is that Polo I smell on you?"

"Maybe." Rick replied sheepishly.

"Let me guess, Jess bought you it." Alex said. Rick nodded.

"She always did like expensive cologne. It actually works on you." Alex smiled. Rick chuckled.

"You better get out there. We're just about ready on our end." Alex said opening the door. "And no peaking." She warned.

Rick stepped out into the hall after giving Alex a minute to return to the ladies' room.

His two friends followed after him. He marched through the sanctuary taking deep breaths. "I'm as jittery as a June Bug." He whispered.

Grant nudged him with an elbow as the two broke apart and left him to continue on his own.

The pastor of the church stood at the altar in a grey suit. He held an old leather-bound volume in his hands. He smiled at Rick warmly. The detective didn't quite make the first step and caught himself from falling face forward onto the stage. Rick, his face a little pink, took his spot on the raised stage and swallowed. His heart pounding in his chest. He felt like he needed a drink.

He took a look around the building. The pews were a dark wood and along the aisle blue tulle and brown ribbon connected each row of pews in little swags. Brown and cream flowers sat in little baskets at each pew. The aisle was covered with a cream carpet leading all the way to the back of the sanctuary.

The open windows let in the warm August breeze and the summer sunshine.

In the first few rows were a select few people. Jessica's cousin Colton Reams. Sergeant Hanson and Deputy Michaels. Jessica's dear friends Myrte Sherman and Sarah Busch. Rick's Uncle Larry Sandusky and his son Gavin. That was it. The rest of their friends were going to be up front with them.

A door in the back of the church opened and Penny walked down the aisle in a brown satin dress with the bright tiffany blue tulle under the skirt and a ribbon around her waist. It had thick shoulder straps trimmed with blue. Her curled hair was pulled back in a tiffany blue headband.

Now the woman at the baby grand began to play the wedding march.

She carried a cream basket and walked towards the altar dropping brown and cream flower petals on the carpet. She stood on the women's side of the stage. Alex and Grant came down the aisle arms linked. They were smiling and broke off to take their places as Matron of Honor and Best Man.

Lindsey Williams and her boy friend came next. Lindsey had been Jessica's best friend since High School. The two were almost as close as the Lawrence sisters.

Walter Riggs and his girlfriend Melissa Granger were last. Melissa was pushing Walter's wheelchair down the aisle. She pushed him up the ramp behind Lindsey's boyfriend. They were the last of the wedding party.

The pounding in Rick's chest grew worse. He watched the open door and swallowed a surprised gasp.

Jessica Lawrence stepped out of the office walked by her Uncle Matthew Lawrence. They made their way to the altar. Jessica's dress flowed around her. A short veil covered her face obscuring even Rick's view. The small tiara on her head glistened in the warm light. Her blond hair was piled on her head in curled ringlets and clipped back. It fell around her neck lightly in soft curls.

Rick's heart almost stopped. He had never thought he would end up in love with such a woman. To think he was a dead man years ago made him shudder involuntarily. Without Alex and Grant none of this would have been a part of his life.

Jessica was smiling, it was just about the only thing he could see through the veil. She was shaking slightly. Not from cold.

Her dress was breathtaking. It fit her frame perfectly and the asymmetrical waist just accentuated her hips. The lace around her neck reminded him of the Victorian wedding dresses he'd seen in a museum once.

Jessica walked slowly, the aisle seeming to go on forever. Rick was there with the preacher. He was in a stunning tux and looked just as nervous as she did. She could see a trace of the jagged scars that ran along his face. But compared to everything else they weren't hardly visible, she was just familiar with them.

Her Uncle's arm around hers was warm and he patted her hand as she tried to stop shuddering. "Calm down Jessie." He whispered.

"I'm trying." She replied quietly.

They came to the stage and Matthew released her. She clung to him briefly as Rick offered her his own hands.

She took them and stepped onto the raised platform with him. Rick gently pulled her veil up over her head. Her eyes locked onto his as he took her hands again. It seemed as though the preacher wasn't even speaking.

Rick was almost floored when he raised the veil. Jessica's face was flawless. Her eyelids were touched with brown and a hint of blue at the edges. Her lashes were long and dark. There was a hint of pink in her cheeks. Her glistening pink lips were pulled into a warm smile.

There was no way that this moment could be ruined. They vaguely heard the traditional marriage speech. Both knew their cues and answered the questions in turn. When it came to the rings Rick almost dropped the diamond topped gold band as he slipped it on Jess's finger. The wedding band added was a simple silver addition. Around the eighth of a carat diamond were two much smaller ones and silver inlay.

He caught the band in midair and Jess giggled. He managed to get it on her finger and quirked a relieved smile as she then did the same with the wide gold band fitted with a silver strip in the center.

The preacher nodded and continued. Finally came that moment immortalized in the media.

"Do you Richard Jonathan Barnes take Jessica Lesley Lawrence to be your lawfully wedded wife?" Rick winced at his full name slightly. He'd never been too fond of his full name and had always just gone by Rick. Jessica had giggled when they went to get the marriage license.

"I do." He answered clearly.

"Do you Jessica Lesley Lawrence take Richard Jonathan Barnes to be your lawfully wedded husband?"

She didn't hesitate. "I do."

"Then I now pronounce you husband and wife." The preacher replied. He didn't have to add 'kiss the bride'.

Jessica had pulled Rick closer and their lips met. It was a warm endearing kiss, nothing graphic or passionate. Friends clapped as they broke apart.

Rick and Jess's cheeks warmed a little.

The door opened and Rick snapped his head up. Everyone looked toward the man who strutted in. He wore a black pinstriped suit with a scarlet shirt. His black tie had a silver chain on it. His light brown hair with blond salon highlights was slicked back perfectly. He stalked into the room carrying several blue envelopes.

"Malcolm Bradley." Rick whispered it agitation. The man walked up the aisle as if it were the most natural thing.

"Greetings detective Barnes, this is for you." He handed him one of the envelopes. It was a subpoena. He handed the other two envelopes to Grant and Alex.

"What is this about?" She asked.

"You'll see." Malcolm replied coolly. He was obviously a lawyer. Alex opened hers and read the first few lines.

"Well, you'd have something here if you had done your research. I expect you and your clients will be there on Tuesday as well?" She sounded as confident as he had looked waltzing in.

"Certainly." Malcolm replied unfazed.

"Good, on Tuesday you'll find out your mistake." Alex replied smugly. Malcolm shook his head at her and turned for the door.

"See you on Tuesday." He called. The door shut behind him.

"Rick, you go ahead and enjoy the evening. This is foolish. Besides Jake will handle it." Alex took the subpoena from his hand.

"You sure?" He asked. She nodded in determination. Obviously she wasn't that worried about why they were being asked into court. Either it was a minor complaint or it was an invalidated cause. "Alright then."

Everyone threw rice at Rick and Jessica as they hurried to Rick's Mustang. Jessica didn't ask about Bradley or the subpoena. The two headed for the Grand Sierra Resort. Neither one wanted to leave town, but they did decide they'd spend the night at a hotel in town.

Penny was with Alex and Grant of course.


	2. Order in the Court

Jake Roland was almost laughing. He couldn't believe what Alex Lawrence had faxed him. He picked up the phone and dialed her number. "Hey,"

'Did you get them?'

"Did I ever." Jake chuckled.

'I know. I can't believe they don't realize that this is a moot point.' Alex said.

"I think we know that Tuesday we're going to have some fun. I can't believe that they're trying this after all this time. You're not playing a prank on me?" Jake was still on the verge of laughter.

'It's true. Some stuck up peacock lawyer waltzed in and handed us those subpoenas on a silver platter almost.'

"Ok just stop." Jake said laughing. "I'll arrive on Monday so I can get a good idea of what's going on, how are those two doing anyways?"

'Rick and Penny are good. They're doing good out here.'

"I look forward to seeing Rick again." Jake continued, "I'll see you on Monday."

'Thanks.' The phone went dead.

* * *

Rick opened his eyes to a tangle of soft blond hair. He took a deep breath and exhaled happily. Jessica stirred next to him and smiled. "Good morning Mr. Barnes," she murmured.

"Good morning Mrs. Barnes." He replied. Jess's brown eyes gleamed as she turned to face him. They shared a smile and then a kiss.

"It's already noon." Jess said looking at the digital clock next to the bed behind him.

"Noon?" Rick glanced back and rolled his eyes. "Of course it is."

"Guess we had more fun than we expected last night." She said waggling her eyebrows. Rick grinned at her in response.

Jessica sat up and ran a hand through her hair. "I need a shower." She said making a face. There was still a half a can of hairspray in her blond tresses. She started for the bathroom.

"What a coincidence." Rick called following her, "so do I." She giggled from the bathroom.

After a rather quick and less than productive shower they headed down to one of the restaurants in the hotel/casino for some food before checking out. Jessica smiled between bites as they ate.

"So, about that dog." She began.

"What about it?" Rick asked swallowing.

"I want us to go get one. I have a few breeds and breeders in mind already." She answered.

"What breeds?" He asked.

"I was thinking something big." She said with a smile. "Like a German Sheppard or a Great Dane."

"No Danes." Rick answered quickly. "That's too big for Penny."

"How about a German Sheppard then. They're good with kids, make good protectors, and are easily trained." Jessica continued.

"Guess we know who's done her homework." Rick commented. "When do you plan to go get this dog?"

"I was hoping we could do it next week. I do have to contact some local breeders and get prices and information."

"That sounds good. A week gives everybody time to prepare." Rick smiled slightly.

"I thought you didn't like dogs." Jess said.

"I never said that." Rick replied, "I just didn't have time for a dog."

"You being a hero and all." Jess said playfully.

"I ain't a hero." Rick returned a little agitated. "I'm jus a detective. I do my job."

"Yes, but you chose that profession because you wanted to protect people and save lives, you did want to be a hero sometime when you made that decision." Jess replied softly.

"In a way." Rick offered.

"Yes in a way." She replied.

* * *

Jake and Malcolm were looking at each other trying to figure out their best plan of attack. The judge sitting in his chair above was looking over the material. Jake didn't smile at his opponent the way Malcolm did. He kept a straight face with a gleam in his eyes that begged for the courtroom battle to begin.

Malcolm grinned casually with an air of arrogance so thick it was like an atmosphere that hovered around the lawyer.

The judge cleared his throat. Both lawyers and their clients looked up. Alex and Grant dared not look at the two scientists they had once worked with. Dr. Amanda Ferguson and Dr. Omar Velasquez had made a case against their former coworkers simply because they thought that the two had stolen FutureTech property.

"Now Mr. Bradley, do you have anything to say before we begin?" He was aging with a gruff raspy voice that fell heavily on everyone's ears.

Malcolm stood up and nodded to the Judge, "yes your Honor." He said with a pleasant smile.

"Proceed." The judge almost snapped. He was well aware of Malcolm's behavior and detested it.

"My clients are former employees of FutureTech. The research company was forced out of business when the FBI seized their entire facility and all of their research. However a few big projects were left behind and Dr.'s Lawrence and Jackson took these for themselves. Project Penultimate and Project Guardian were made possible by all the scientists at work there. Even if the two scientists in question were leading the work it was not theirs to take. In essence they stole research that did not belong to them."

The judge listened. He nodded at the end. "It sounds rather against your clients Mr. Roland."

Rick hadn't liked the way Malcolm had said 'stole research' it implied that the two had stolen science projects that weren't alive.

"Yes, it does." Jake stood up. "But what Mr. Bradley's clients do not know is that Calvin McDowell, the original owner of FutureTech added a clause in his will. When he was killed at the unveiling of his team's work the entire research facility and all subsequent possessions were transferred jointly to Dr. Lawrence and Dr. Jackson. These two were McDowell's oldest and most favored pupils. The clause was added in years before his death. Though Jackson and Lawrence had yet to meet." Jake said.

Amanda gasped in surprise at this. "What do you mean?" She asked loudly before covering her mouth with a hand.

"I'm saying that all property within FutureTech was transferred over to these two. What they chose to do with their research was their own business. After the company dissolved there was nothing left to fight over."

The judge looked at Jake in surprise. "You mean that McDowell willed the research facility and everything related to your clients?"

"Yes. I have a copy of the will, shall I give it to you?"

"Yes." The judge replied eagerly. He wanted to see this for himself. The bailiff handed the judge the paperwork. He read it for a few minutes his blue eyes moving quickly over the words behind his glasses.

"It's true. Did you know about this Mr. Bradley?" The judge looked up.

"No your honor. Such information was kept from my clients." Malcolm replied almost testily.

"Of course it was, it says here that such action was to remain a private matter between McDowell and his chosen heirs." The older man replied.

For the first time Malcolm looked worried briefly. He looked at his clients who both shrugged. The two scientists had never known about McDowell's will.

"Your Honor, may I request we take a half hour to gather our remaining evidence against Richard Barnes?" Malcolm asked.

The judge looked at him and knew that the lawyer was searching for a handhold. He was enjoying the way Malcolm was losing his battle. "Alright." He said striking his gavel down.

Everyone stood up and Malcolm and the two scientists left the room. Jake shook his head watching them. "They really think they've got something against you. Wait until they see the Supreme Court Ruling. That'll really rattle his cage." He whispered.

The entire time Jake had been calm and humble, not once had he seemed disinterested or behaved as though the battle had already been won. It wasn't his way of handling himself in court.

"I hope so." Rick replied.

"Yea, he needs a little trim on those feathers of his." Alex agreed. She was adamant that Malcolm was a peacock. His attitude and his behavior gave off that impression easily.

When everyone came back in Malcolm addressed the rather empty court room. To avoid media tainting there was no jury, audience, or trial. All they wanted was a single judge to make a ruling about the situation based solely on the facts. Which was their first mistake.

"Your Honor the defendant Richard Barnes is not only a thief, but the subsequent fruit of great labor. He is, by definition, research related to FutureTech which belongs to Jackson and Lawrence. He also has in his custody Project Penultimate." Rick winced. Who did Malcolm think he was? _'He is, by definition, research' I can't wait for Jake to drop his second bomb on you. _The detective thought with a due amount of smugness.

"Your honor may I provide something else for my defense?" Jake broke in. The judge looked at him a moment and then nodded.

"But if you have anymore evidence in your possession that might shorten this hearing I expect you to provide it now."

"Yes sir." Jake replied.

The judge looked it over and almost smiled. "Mr. Roland please explain what this is."

"That is a Supreme Court Statement from nine years ago. The FBI pursued this very idea once already. They claimed that Barnes and Penny did not fit within the boundaries of humanity and fought to obtain them as property belonging to FutureTech. The Supreme Court ruled that while the two were of an unusual nature, they found no evidence that neither was human." Jake replied.

Malcolm almost made an outburst. He curbed his tongue just in time. "Your Honor, are you sure that that document is authentic?"

The judge looked down over his glasses at Malcolm. "This document is indeed an authentic ruling statement from the U.S. Supreme Court."

"Your Honor, are you saying that my case is invalid?" Malcolm was in disbelief.

"I have decided that the Plaintiffs Amanda Ferguson and Omar Velasquez have no valid case against the Defendants and that this case is resolved by evidence in the form of a Higher Court's Ruling." The gavel smacked down and the judge stood up.

Malcolm walked away as Jake offered to shake his hand. The two scientists looked at Alex and Grant and shook their heads in disappointment before leaving the room as well.

Alex grinned. "I didn't think Malcolm would be so shocked. You'd think he would have found those while preparing his case."

"Sometimes lawyers expect their opponents will give up easily or won't have any proof to back up their own argument. Bradley just didn't expect that I would be so ready. He obviously thought that you were all easy targets." Jake said.

"With that taken care of we can get to our normal everyday lives." Grant said. Everyone agreed.

"I'm going to go to the airport now and leave. I already checked out of my hotel. I need to get back to my other clients." Jake said shaking hands as he walked.

"Thanks." Rick said as he released the lawyer's hand.

"No prob Rick, I wouldn't leave some of my best clients hanging."

"Have a safe flight." Alex said.


	3. Journalism at it's Best

Penny looked up from the book about German Sheppards and began to talk excitedly. "This says that training them should be started early and practiced daily. The breed is also known to be good with children as long as they are raised with them." She was looking at her father intently. He looked over his newspaper and held back a sigh.

"That's good." he replied impatiently. Penny had been talking about dogs for the past two days nonstop.

"I can't wait until we go and pick one out." She said smiling. She was looking at him with such a gleam in her eyes.

"I know." He smiled slightly. "I jus hope you're ready for the responsibility for it. I'm not goin' to have takin' care of a dog dumped on me every night when I get home."

"Yes sir." She replied nodding. She went back to reading the book.

Rick glanced at his paper and chuckled. Penny was overjoyed that she was getting a dog and Jessica was just as excited about it. The two had called a breeder and planned to meet him this weekend.

Rick was fine with getting a dog, he knew he'd probably enjoy having a pet again. It had been a few years since he had owned an animal. He returned to the article he had been reading.

He finished one article and then went to the next one. He was only half paying attention to what he was reading for a few lines. Penny had said something about dogs again. He reread the beginning of the article and continued on. After a few minutes he stood up. "This is ridiculous." Rick snarled.

Penny looked up at him and was about to ask what was wrong. "It's not for you to worry about." He snapped. The paper in his fist was tearing around his fingers.

Jessica walked in. "What's wrong?" She asked. "Penny, why don't you take your book to your room?"

"Ok." The girl gathered her book and went to her room quickly.

"I'm fed-up with that two-bit journalist. It's one thing to question my choices. It's another to call me a coward."

"Rick, darling, why don't you let it be. He's probably just trying to bait you." She put a hand on his shoulder. "Besides. Alex already called Derek Smith earlier. Told him he could either do the proper research or shove his writing where the sun don't shine."

"Of course she did. She's got a shorter fuse than I do." He said. He looked at the paper. "Guess it's best to let it go anyways."

"That's how I like my husband to react." Jess smiled. "It's getting late anyways."

"Right." Rick threw the paper in the trash.

* * *

The next morning Rick was shocked to find a visitor waiting for him. It was Derek Smith, and he was in a mood for a fight.

In a matter of minutes an argument had begun.

"You don't understand." Rick replied hastily.

"Don't understand what?" The journalist asked. "That some science experiment like you has the same rights as a human?"

Rick glared. "That's not fair. I'm no less human than you!" He snarled. He was really tired of being referred to as a science experiment. It seemed like everyone against cybernetic implants was calling him that.

"I suppose you think you're better than normal people?" The journalist asked.

Derek had spent the last month writing a column in the Reno Gazette solely to destroy Rick's name.

"I have no such feelin's." Rick retorted. "I don't appreciate you producin' libel about me. I want nothin' more than to settle this like mature adults."

Derek snorted. "The only reason you don't like it is because you're ashamed. Because you know that people agree with me. Because we both know how right I am."

Rick took a deep breath and yanked off his hat. He crumpled the rim of the fedora in his hands in an effort to remain calm. "None of your statements are correct." Rick remembered every word he'd read in those columns. "I did not volunteer for Project Guardian because I wanted power. If you'd paid attention to the facts you'd know that I had two feet in the grave when Dr. Lawrence came to me." He kept his voice steady.

"Admit it, you like the superiority the machinery they put inside you gave you." Derek responded smoothly. He had come to get some evidence to back up his claims. And so far, Rick had avoided his trap, but if the cyborg didn't watch his temper it was almost a secured victory for the journalist.

"I'm not superior to anyone." Rick snapped. "I'm not what you'd call commonplace, but I ain't so stupid as to believe that I'm better than anyone in this world." His hat was beginning to lose its shape. If he didn't stop crushing it Alex would have to make him a new one again. He set the fedora on his desk.

"What else was I wrong about?" Derek asked. "Pray tell."

Rick wanted to punch the man. But he knew it would be a self destructive action. "I'm not alone. I have friends and a family. I actually have a great deal of my original body intact. My body isn't invincible. Some things are still just as fatal to me as they are to you. And the reason most everybody in this town didn't know was because I didn't want the media circus that goes with it. Whether the publicity is positive or negative." Rick had managed to keep his voice almost conversational as he ticked each falsehood off on his fingers.

Derek looked at him with an amused gleam in his eyes. "You forget your so called daughter is another lab experiment. And isn't your wife Alex Lawrence's little sister?"

"It doesn't matter. Penny's still a human child." Rick fired back.

"And does your wife truly love you, or did her sister pay her off to help you masquerade like a human?" Derek was being awfully cruel.

Deputy Michaels outside wanted to step in and help Rick out, but the detective didn't want it.

"I told you. I'm still a man, and I can still win the love of an honest woman by my personality alone." Rick was starting to feel like he was being manipulated. He had to watch his temper closely. "Do you hate me so much that you're willing to falsify the facts to suit your needs?" He didn't ask this question pleadingly. He asked it with an air of disgust.

"I don't hate you." Derek replied. "I'm just afraid that if we don't realize you for threat you are then we're doomed."

"You're afraid of me?" Rick asked. "Is that what this is all about?" Derek gave a derisive laugh.

Rick closed his eyes and tried to relax. He had to end this peacefully, but he couldn't let Derek get away with victory.

"You don't understand anythin'." Rick murmured. "Do you think I have forgotten my past? That I don't miss certain aspects of my days before I met Alex Lawrence? Have you any idea the tremendous responsibility that comes with this power?"

Derek hesitated to respond. It seemed that Rick wasn't as easily baited as he'd hoped. "What responsibility?" Derek snapped.

"Do you think I have no conscience? If I'm not careful I could kill someone. If I don't keep myself under control, no matter how angry I get, I could really do some damage. But I won't, because I don't want to hurt anyone."

"You're just afraid of getting imprisoned or deactivated." Derek was using everything he could.

"No matter who it is, the punishment for killing a person is still the same. You'd like to think that I live like such laws don't apply to me. But they do. Because as far as the Supreme Court is involved I'm still a human being with rights. If they decided that I'm no less human than I was on the day I was born than nobody can tell me otherwise."

Rick turned to walk away but Derek played one final card. "You're Frankenstein's Monster. Admit it."

_That does it!_

Rick stiffened. His hands clenched into fists. A hiss escaped through his clamped teeth. Michaels watched the man through the glass window. He hoped that Rick wouldn't fall prey to Derek's scheme. But he had to admit he'd probably beat the snot out of such a punk if he was in the same predicament.

Rick turned around and smiled. "I get that your jealous and you don't understand. But I am no monster. I was a police officer before. I chose this option not because I was afraid of death or wanted power. I chose it because I had an opportunity to be part of something bigger than myself, and to continue to save lives. That's why."

Derek's eyes flashed. "As if I'd be jealous of a walking Bestbuy with a pulse!"

"You're hopeless." Rick mumbled. "I don't have to prove anythin' to you. You'll never understand." He left the room then.

Derek looked after him stunned. For all his taunting the cyborg had just walked out of the room. No violence and no yelling either. He'd thought he had gotten to him one moment. But he'd just walked out and left him there.

* * *

Rick took a walk. He stumbled once or twice on the jagged cement as his thoughts remained on everything but where he was going. He looked at the brim of his hat as he went. It looked like he hadn't damaged anything yet. If he'd gripped it any harder or longer he could have ruined it completely. He knew what Alex would say if he told her he needed her to replace the A-1 Gadget Hat for a second time. She'd be angry and upset. And she would spend hours trying to figure out how to make it better.

Alex was taking a break from work. She was finishing up Walter's leg but that was it. After having to replace Rick's left arm, his trench coat, and his hat she was tired. Though she did admire his use of the hat to save himself.

He put it on his head and looked around. He had looped around back to the precinct. Rick headed back in. He still had work to do.


	4. A Pain in the Neck

Walter Riggs stood up and grabbed at the wall. His right leg felt so normal and yet it felt so alien. He could feel the entire limb. All the way down to the foot he could feel the pants he wore. He was aware of the leg the same way he was aware of his left.

"Looks like you'll get the hang of this pretty quick." Alex said.

"I can't almost tell the difference." Walter admitted. He began to take a step. There was only a slight hesitance at first. "This isn't so hard to get used to." He added.

"The one leg is rather easy. You're left leg is perfectly fine. You only have to force a little more concentration on your right. After a while you won't even notice it."

Walter was walking back and forth. "It feels good to be on my feet again. I can't wait until you give the all clear for me to go back to work."

Alex smiled. "That won't be for another month or so. But I promise you it won't last too long. The recovery process is very fast." The scientist was beaming. She was happiest when her work was being used to help people. Even if it was an FBI agent.

"I want to thank you again." Walter said.

"Don't mention it." Alex replied. "It was the only option you had left. I was glad to do it. Now how about some stairs?" She grinned.

"Oh boy," Walter replied.

* * *

Rick pulled into the drive and cut the engine. "Remember, if we don't like anything we may not bring home a dog today." He said.

"I know." Penny replied. She was already unbuckled and poised to open the door as soon as Rick unlocked them.

The doors unlocked and everyone got out. Penny walked between Jess and Rick as they approached the door. Jess knocked and a man opened the door after a minute.

"Jessica?" He asked.

"Yes," She answered. "thank you for agreeing to show us your puppies today."

"My pleasure." The older man said. He had a warm smile and graying hair. "The dogs are in here. Please come in."

The three stepped in. "I'm Dave." The breeder said to Rick.

"Rick." He returned. "And this is Penny."

The man looked at the girl. "Is this your first dog?" He asked. Penny nodded.

"Yes."

"Have you owned dogs before?" It was a logical question.

"I grew up with dogs, my wife has had a few too." Rick replied.

"Here they are." Three puppies were romping in a fenced in area covered in newspaper. They nipped and pawed at each other.

Penny leaned in close. She put her hands into the pen. The pups looked at her and sniffed curiously. She petted one and it licked her hand. Giggling she picked one up. Jess grabbed another. Rick just watched. He was enjoying the two's reactions. The girls were smiling and cuddling the squirming animals as if they were already part of the family.

"You want to hold this one?" Jess offered. Rick shook his head but she stepped closer and thrust the tan and black puppy in his face.

He reluctantly took it and looked into it's dark eyes. The dog squirmed and he rubbed its head. The soft fur was short and he quirked a slight smile. It had been a long time since he had owned a dog.

Penny was watching him with a gleam in her bright green eyes. Rick caught her grin and stuck his tongue out at her playfully.

* * *

An hour and a half later he was trying to drive while Penny exclaimed in disgust and shock as the puppy emptied the contents of its stomach on her sneakers. Jessica laughed a little. Rick glowered. His week wasn't going so well.

And a dog that got car sick was not much of a help.

* * *

Penny and the dog took to each other well. She named him to her father's amusement and Jessica's shock, Brain. Although the dog didn't seem very smart so far. Brain was a trouble maker. He got into things he shouldn't have. But he was beginning to learn that scolding was not something he wanted.

Rick didn't have much time to spend on a dog. He was busy with a sudden rise in violent attacks at the local University campus.

No matter how hard the CSI people worked not a trace of DNA. The victims were African-American, Hispanic, or Jewish. It was obvious that some racist group was at play. Some kind of neo-Nazi group out for blood. Most victims were found beaten, bloody, and alive. Unfortunately a few were found dead or died after arriving at the hospital.

The case was getting nowhere.

Greg came out of an interview room and kicked a table. "This is ridiculous. There's no witnesses. It's a campus at midnight. There's got to be a frickin' witness somewhere!" He shouted. Some people looked up and nodded. Others like Rick kept their focus.

Rick was reading a report for the third time. He couldn't find anything in it, but he was rereading everything. Trying to find something else that connected the victim was almost impossible. Rick however believed in doing the impossible. He'd done it quite a lot in his life-time.

He pulled up the next one and scanned through it. He was about to give up on them when something stood out. He compared the previous to it and then began searching the others. On each was a single similarity besides ethnicity.

There was a wound in the right side of their necks. All of them had it. They were always a knife slit, but they were in the same exact spot on each victim. What was worse was Rick knew the location well. He'd been shot in the same spot once.

That was early in the spring. Now it was mid-September. He fingered the spot, though there was no scar it was hard to forget such a spot.

An idea dawned on him then. One that he'd briefly entertained a week ago, but rejected as paranoia kicking in.

But there was only one racist who had a reason to mark that spot on his victim's necks. It was an obvious calling card for only one person. The leader of The Purist Reich.

Rick looked up his name on the desktop computer. Gerald Richter. The name was blatantly German. Rick jumped up to his feet and was about to head for the Sergeant Hanson's office when a distinct ringing made him shove his left hand in his pants pocket.

He was still angry with Alex for that. Her need to rebuild his entire left arm had given her the perfect chance to add in a few new extras. Like a cell-phone in his hand.

He went into the men's restroom and once he was in a stall with the door locked he pulled his left hand back out. His thumb was flashing with a blue light.

Rick grudgingly chose to answer the call. Then he stuck his hand next to his face. His pinkie was near his lips and his thumb against his ear.

"Hello?" He asked.

"Hey Rick," It was Alex.

"What can I do for you June Bug?" He replied. He had made it a habit to always call her that when she called that ridiculous phone. She was usually the only one.

There was an irritated sigh from her. "Did you notice the neck wounds on the victims?"

"Just found that a minute ago. You actually interrupted me on my way to tell Hanson, now if you'll do your job and let me do mine?"

"Of course. Should have known you'd get it." Alex replied proudly. "Catch ya later Rick."

"See ya, June Bug." He cut off the connection as she swore at him.

With that he went back to what he had been doing. He waltzed right into Hanson's office and began to explain his theory.

Hanson agreed it was a good, if not their only, lead.

* * *

An hour later Rick was in the morgue. It was his least favorite part of the job. But someone had to do it. He looked at the half covered body of the young man. The victim was Hispanic and handsome.

Rick looked at the opening in his neck. It was clean and dark. The wound was no bigger than a slit from a thin blade. It was exactly where Rick had expected. A clean stab had made the wound. No jerking the blade or slashing it. Just a simple plunge and retrieve.

He didn't see anything else of note and left as quickly as he could. There was something about touching a dead body that made his spine tingle.


	5. Let Me Try this Again

Rick didn't expect to take so long trying to locate Richter. The man had been locked away after his attack on the Lawrence estate. But he had been released by a judge. Obviously someone had wanted to get Richter out. The judge must have been paid off. Rick had spent two hours alone just trying to get hold of the judge who had let Richter free.

But as things would go the judge was busy that day, and the next, and the next. Nobody was going to say a word to him. Then he'd tried to contact a member of the jury, to see if there was some information there. But that was a dead end as well.

The whole thing was getting annoying. No one would talk, and no witnesses knew anything. He couldn't get a break at all.

It was well past midnight. He'd already warned Jess and Penny he would be late. He locked up the doors to the precinct as he left. It was a quiet night. There was no new victim yet, and everything else was at it's normal.

When he pulled his hand back from the back door he took a deep breath. The night air was crisp. In a sense it was invigorating. It had taken him a while to get used to cold summer nights. Back in Kansas the humidity made sure even midnight was warm.

Noises reached his ears, but they were a good ways out and probably just feral animals or a bum digging through trash. As he made his way through a parking lot to his car he hummed a tune. Some country song he'd listened to earlier that day. "If you go before I do, I'm gonna tell the grave digger that he better dig two." He whispered into the silence.

His was the only car left. Everyone else had gone home already. Hansen had left hours before simply saying, "Don't work all night long."

Spots of light fell unevenly from lamps and the long shadows painted strange and frightening images. If he were paranoid he might have found himself scared a time or two already. But when your eyes could tell you whether or not a shadow really was a shadow there were few causes for fright.

Thoughts about Richter though were distracting him. Usually he kept up a vigilant observance of his surroundings, but tonight he was just out of it. He was tired, frustrated, and singing a song whilst going over facts in his head.

He couldn't have been an easier target.

Considering his trench coat was slung over his arm and his hat held tightly in his hand. He welcomed the chill to help relax.

Rick made it to his car before he noticed the trap. A long thin black shadow trailed away from his car. He looked at it and then leapt backwards. The HUD identified it as an electric wire.

By this time the full trap had been sprung. Several cars had pulled into the parking lot blocking the only exit from the gated yard. A searchlight hit Rick in the face nearly blinding him. His eyes automatically adjusted for the brightness and he saw a familiar face through the glare.

Gerald Richter. "Greetings again," He said. His smooth voice was just loud enough to reach the other man. Richter was the same except for a scar on his forehead. It looked like it had healed badly.

"I figured you were the one playin' games around here." Rick retorted. He had no time to put his coat on. "What do you want from me?"

"Why does a cat ever hunt a mouse?" Richter questioned back smugly.

Rick made to activate a weapon when a cable shot through the darkness and tore through his shirt into his chest. Little metal claws dug into the soft muscle directly above his heart. He winced with pain.

"I would not try any defensive actions right now." Richter announced. "Or you'll lose more than just a few drops of blood. That device is akin to a tazer. Except instead of shocking a person into immobility, it will cut the very wires and veins that provide you with blood and oxygen."

Rick could feel the little claw digging it's way deeper into his chest. The pain sparked and stabbed with every breath. "I'll be good." Rick replied. Richter grinned.

"A wise decision."

"What are you here for?" Rick asked again. He had to keep them talking. His radio connection was weak, almost impossible to get a message to anyone. A sudden rush of squealing static made him close his eyes and instinctively cover his ears. When the noise quieted he straightened.

"Consider yourself jammed." Richter smirked. "Where we were unprepared in our last fight we have the advantage tonight. Perhaps you should have paid attention to your surroundings instead of singing some country trash song."

Rick gave a half smile. "Looks like you win this round."

"That is where you are wrong again. I win the entire game." Richter snapped. He cut the light finally and Rick could see the group of thugs with various electronic devices. A woman held some kind of gun that had shot the clawed wire into his chest.

Perhaps if he grabbed the metal cord and jerked her to him he could disable her toy and cause just enough surprise to make an attack.

He looked at the cord sticking out of his chest. Where it met his flesh was stained with his blood and his ruined shirt was beginning to turn red as well. He put a hand on the cord suddenly and then yanked it back. Smoke rose from his singed fingers. The synthetic skin melted and peeled away from the metal frame.

Everyone looked at the shiny metal shaped like fingers. A few wires could be seen in the joints. Rick looked at his hand without any reaction. He'd seen a good deal of Alex's work on him over the years. At this point nothing could surprise him.

"As I have said. That, is not human." Richter spoke severely. "Please Inspector Gadget, tell us how that can be considered human."

Rick glared at the man. "It's only a prosthetic." He snarled. The pain was getting worse and now there was a strange humming in the back of his head.

"Prosthetics don't carry secret weapons. I am doing the world a service tonight."

"And heroes don't murder the innocent." Rick replied.

"You mean those filthy lowlifes we took care of? Don't worry. The innocent haven't died. Only the sinful dark-skinned mutants."

"Don't call them that!" Rick snapped.

"I don't believe you have the position to give me orders." Richter said turning away. "Shall we put this abomination out of it's misery?" A series of 'Hell yes' 'yeah', and 'send 'im to hell!' gave reply.

Rick looked at the other assortment of devices they carried. He recognized a few and didn't have time to wait for the HUD to identify the rest. They were going to destroy him in a rather gruesome manner. Cut off his oxygen and blood, pepper him with bullets, and then burn his body to a crisp.

No words or stalls came to mind. He could barely think. Everything was happening much too fast. The first part came in an explosive zing of torturous pain. He felt his heart shudder and the little claw inside his chest pulled away from the vein it had just cut open.

Rick knew he was bleeding internally but he couldn't fix it. And worse he was beginning to feel woozy. The scene floated in a mosaic.

Richter laughed and there was a second pain this one twice as bad. Suddenly his lungs began to ache. He tried to breath, but no air went in or out of his nose or mouth. Rick slumped down to the ground. His head bobbed as he tried to focus on Richter.

Without warning the cord snaked out the way it had gone in. The claws ripped through the already ravaged flesh as they yanked free. Rick put a hand on his chest somewhat confused. He had no time to think or act. And he was almost unable to process what was happening to him.

"With you dead I won't have to worry about Abernathy putting a price on my head. I told him I would get rid of you. And this time I'm making sure it happens." Richter smiled. "This is your last few moments. Any parting words?"

Abernathy had ordered his death.

Rick's only thought was that he wouldn't be able to make it home tonight. That and that he should have been more aware. The parking lot had been a perfect place to catch him. He wished he'd worn his coat, that damned metal claw wouldn't have been able to pierce the armored fabric. He regretted not being more prepared.

Then came the earth shattering sound of guns firing simultaneously at him. Pain ripped through his arms and legs. He fell onto his side as he shuddered with each impact. His oxygen reserve was depleting quickly and he couldn't speak a word as he felt a blackness swallowing his thoughts. It grew with every second. Without the blood circulating through his body everything was shutting down. A certain amount of the cybernetic implants ran off of an oil. This oil was dark and incompatible with his blood. The two traveled in similar paths but only one could keep him alive, and that was the one he was without.

The pain was beginning to go numb. He couldn't feel much besides the burn of his lungs and the fuzzy confusion that was poisoning his brain.

There was one final attack before the world went completely black. A jolting spark of energy that made him convulse on the ground involuntarily. His back arched as he writhed for a few pained seconds.

And then there was nothing.


	6. How to Save a Life

Alex threw the scalpel across the room. "GOD DAMN IT!" She screamed. She kicked the tray of surgical tools and then leaned over the bloodied body on the table. Tears began welling in her eyes. "Please Rick," she begged.

They'd barely gotten to him in time. Now they were trying to get him stable enough for surgery. Alex had spent the last ten minutes getting everything set up. The damage was far greater than she'd seen in past years. Rick was always getting himself into serious trouble, but he'd never come back to her lab like this. Even the giant magnet in the junkyard hadn't wreaked this much havoc.

Grant was still plugging the life support machines to the wounded detective. He scurried from one machine to the next hoping to get Rick's body back up and running.

Alex walked away for a moment and grabbed a defibrillator. She charged it and prepared to give Rick's chest a jump start when Grant grabbed her from behind. "You know as well as I do that right now that will do more damage than good."

"The life support won't start up. What else can we do?"

"Wait and pray." Grant said. He turned back to one of the machines that stood dark. "Every thing else is on and plugged in. He should be getting oxygen to the brain." He opened an access panel and worked on some dials. "This thing is almost shot. I'm turning it up to the highest voltage."

"It better work." Alex growled as she picked up the surgical tools. She needed to go get a new set. Alex left the room and Grant tried to get the machine to turn on. With a wheezing gasp it started up. It faltered briefly for a moment before it hummed. Grant pumped a fist and then turned back to Rick.

Rick's chest was open the skin pulled away from his heart enough for them to work. Rick's left lung was attached to an oxygen machine. His cybernetic lung was failing. Grant then began to work on the damages caused by the wire cord that had been inserted into his chest.

Rick's heart had literally been disconnected from his body. The arteries had been severed. Grant took a look as Alex set up the surgical tools. He had to reattach the connections naturally. He got the needle ready and began to sew up the opened veins.

He raced to get the bleeding under control. The only thing that was keeping their patient alive was the cybernetic part of his heart. The right ventricle and atrium had been replaced with Alex's machinery. That was what was hooked up to the life support machine pumping the blood to his organic organs.

Alex had her handheld device plugged into an access port behind Rick's right ear. She was checking to see what was working and what needed work or even replacement. Things weren't looking good. So far her list of repairs was twice as long as the list of what was functioning properly.

Grant's fingers ached as he continued the work. He still had one more vein to go. Sweat beaded on his forehead. He'd trained for this, med school had been his first dream. But when he'd learned about alternative medical treatments through technological breakthroughs he'd jumped at the chance to work on devices that would provide lifesaving work.

His fingers shook and he paused for just a second. He had to keep from losing it. Alex was swearing under her breath. He refocused on his work.

When he was done with Rick's heart Grant moved to his lungs. The trachea had been cut open. Not severed completely, just cut open so that the lungs couldn't receive or expel air.

The trachea would need a little more work. Grant looked at Alex. "Hon, I need a C10 Fusion Tube." Alex looked at him and set the device on the table next to Rick's head. She looked at his open chest and the slowly beating heart.

She nodded and then hurried out. She had a long list of items to retrieve. She wished Jessica weren't such a wreck, but her sister was unable to help out in any way. Penny was in one of the upstairs rooms making sure she was ok.

Walter was too slow on his feet to help, but Melissa was here, and she was quick on her feet. Alex went to a wall and pushed a button on a panel, "Melissa, can I get you in the lab to help out? Make sure you clean you hands."

"Right away." Came the response through a speaker.

Alex raced to one of the metal bins in the lab and grabbed what Grant had asked her for. She ran back and handed it to him. He took it, sprayed it with a solution from the tool tray, and opened it up. It was a rubber tube an inch in length the size of Rick's trachea.

Grant had sewed up the gash in the trachea while Alex retrieved the proper device. He took the Fusion Tube and put it around the trachea. He carefully closed it around the sewn tissue. Once it was in place he took a soldering tool and heated up the rubber seam. It shrank slightly tightening around Rick's trachea.

With that finished Grant paused to wipe the sweat from his brow. By now Alex and Melissa were bringing in devices and tools. Grant sighed and took a deep breath. "I've got to get these bullets out before I hand it over to you Alex," He reminded.

"I won't be ready for a while anyways. Just get him sewn up so I can repair the damages." Alex replied. She was composed once again but the worry in her eyes was devastating.

Grant knew that if Alex was this bad, Jessica was probably twenty times worse. He hoped that soon he could go and tell his sister-in-law that her husband was going to make it.

* * *

An hour later Grant pulled the final bullet out of Rick's gut. He dropped it on the tray and sighed. "God what a mess. Thirty bullets. And they're all armor piercing rounds." He looked at the heap of blood and oil stained bullets. He shook his head. He sewed up the final wound and grabbed another handheld device. This one worked like an instant x-ray machine. He scanned for any more bullets.

There wasn't another bullet in Rick, well not another bullet that had been fired on him. Alex was in the process of emptying out the ammunitions reserves. She didn't need Rick to fire off weapons randomly when she got his system back online.

The two had shut down everything but his life-support. They didn't want to chance anything. Besides that it looked like his communications system and weapons were down for the count.

Grant was almost finished with his share of the work. He just had to close a few open wounds now. He shook his head. Rick's face wasn't looking too good. His nose had been broken in a good deal of places and though it was already crooked, Grant was sure it wouldn't heal straight. Rick's right eye needed to be removed. Grant was sorry for that, while Rick's eyes had been retrofitted they were still his original eyes. Alex was trying to figure out how to fix it without having to make one from scratch. She had always had trouble with cybernetic eyes. They never seemed quite right.

Grant took care of setting the nose and then sewed up a gash over his right eye. Rick was going to need a week of work at least. It had taken them five months to install everything into him. More than half of it needed work.

Grant double checked to make sure he hadn't missed anything. Assured that his friend wasn't bleeding he grabbed his surgical tools and walked towards the main part of the lab. Alex walked by him. "All done?' She asked. He nodded.

"Go rest Grant, I'm going to need you in an hour or so." Alex said. "Actually, why don't you go calm Jess down. You're the only one she'll listen to right now."

"Will do." Grant agreed. Alex hurried to Rick with Melissa close behind.

"If you're going to know how to take care of Walter's leg than this is the best time to learn from me." Alex began talking to the other woman. "Cybernetics are built with one universal formula." Grant shook his head. _Always the scientist_. He thought.

"Just tell me what you need me to do." Melissa replied.

Grant left the lab locking the door behind him. No one was allowed in without permission. Not with major surgery on the table. Grant checked his watch. It was 4:00 am. He'd been working for an hour and a half on Rick. His fingers ached. He'd done more sewing up in the last hour than he had on any other patient ever.

Grant went to the elevator and hit the up switch. He climbed inside as the doors slid open and pressed the up button. He rubbed his eyes as he rode upwards.

When the elevator stopped he ran a hand through his hair and tried to look hopeful.

Jessica was in the room Rick had stayed in when they had first moved to Reno. Penny was asleep with her head on Jess's lap. The woman was seated on the bed waiting patiently. She'd been crying, but her eyes were dry now. She was looking at Penny running her fingers through the girl's hair. She didn't hear Grant open the door.

"Hey," Grant whispered.

She looked up at him and tried to keep her eyes dry. "How is he?"

"Right now, he's holding on." Grant whispered.

"I'm guessing Alex is working on him now?" She asked quietly. Grant just nodded. "How much longer?"

"I'm not sure. I just finished sewing him up. Alex has a lot of implants to replace and repair. She's really worried about his memory right now." He sat down on the bed next to her.

"His memory?" Jess asked her voice rising in panic.

"Sh," Grant murmured, "Alex has to do something she's unprepared to do. She's got to access the system mainframe that's attached to his brain. A couple circuits are shot, one of them could possibly be his short term memory. He might not remember the past few days…" Grant trailed off.

Jessica's eyes overflowed with tears. "But there won't be any damage to his long term memory?" She managed in a tight whisper.

"We don't think so." Grant replied. "Also, you may want to prepare for some waiting. We've got a lot of cosmetic damage."

"Will it be permanent?"

"I hope not, but his nose may not heal up right." Grant replied.

"But he'll survive?" Jess asked.

"We think so, we won't know till we're done repairing the cybernetic work."

"How long till Alex needs you again?" Jess asked suddenly leaning closer.

"I have an hour." Grant whispered. He scooted closer so that Jess could lean on his shoulder. He sat patiently as she cried into his shoulder. He put an arm around her. He couldn't imagine what would happen if he were waiting to know if Alex would make it from a surgery. But he knew that he'd want someone to help pass the time. Someone he trusted.

Jessica just sobbed. She was scared and alone, and she just wanted to know that her husband was alive. Besides that Grant was too tired to move, he had to be ready for another round soon anyways.


	7. Repairing the Damage

Alex held the wiring in her left hand as she tried to get the connector into the opening. But after two hours of cybernetic repairs her hands were shaky. Grant's hands were no better. A straight hour of surgery had done him in. Now the two were working frantically to change out Rick's right lung. There wasn't a lot of time. They needed to get his respiration back up. They also needed to clean out the blood and oil in his chest cavity.

Alex was solely concerned with keeping Rick alive. Everything else could be handled later. She finally got the plug into the digital array attached to the trachea. With a soft _click_ the new lung was in place and ready for action. Alex pulled up her handheld attached to the organ and made some adjustments.

Everything needed to be perfect, which meant that the right lung had to be synchronized to the left. If the right lung worked too slowly or too quickly it could cause breathing problems or even damage to the left lung. When the screen indicated it was ready she activated the new lung and waited for a diagnostic to come up.

Grant was busy replacing damaged wiring. The main wires that ran along Rick's spinal cord were undamaged for the most part, but some of the ones that branched off to his organs were in need of replacing. Luckily the cybernetic liver and kidney were undamaged.

He worked as quickly as his tired hands allowed him. He carefully pulled one wire out and quickly replaced it.

Alex read the diagnostic as it came up. The readings were good. She was hoping for better but the readings were high enough to go with. She unplugged the handheld and moved to check on his heart. She plugged it in and waited for the diagnostic to come up.

"We're doing alright," She murmured. "Lungs are stable, heart is looking good so far. How are you on changing out the damaged wire?"

Grant struggled with a replacement before answering. "I'm half way through." He grunted. "Damn it." He murmured. "Alex we've got a fried master chip down here." He kept his right hand inside of Rick as he looked up. "Whatever electric device they used it only damaged the real sensitive stuff."

Alex was already out of the room. A few minutes later she returned with the proper replacement. "We've got to program it." She said.

"Do it. I'll keep my hand right here." Grant replied.

"It'll take ten minutes." Alex replied exasperated. She turned to her handheld and stuck the chip into an opening. "Let me take care of the wiring for a while."

Grant nodded. She began to work on the wires that had yet to be replaced.

Alex worked quickly.

Melissa brought in some water. "I thought you might be thirsty." She said. Alex shook her head and nodded her head towards her husband. Melissa brought a glass to him. He took it with his left hand and took a long swallow.

He handed it back, "Sorry about the blood." He said as she took it trying to avoid the red fingerprints.

Melissa shrugged and took it back. She left the room.

Alex finished the wires. She threw the last one on the floor and sighed. "I think we're almost good until we can access the neural hub." She said.

The handheld beeped and she took the new master chip out. "Here. Rick's natural patterns are all saved. She reached a hand in where Grant's was and the two worked on removing the damaged chip from a digital port just above Rick's pelvis. She held the new one at the ready. As soon as the damaged one came out she pushed the new one in.

Grant looked at the old one. It was blackened a little. "Whoever this was really did a number on him." He said in agitation. "They planned that attack. They knew his weaknesses, got themselves weapons strong enough to render Rick immobile."

"They knew what to do," Alex seethed. She hated anyone who tried to destroy her family and her work. "We're done with life support and everything here correct?"

Grant nodded. "That was the only other thing I found."

"Good, let's go ahead and get him closed up. After that we'll give him a couple hours. By that time we'll have rested and the lockdown should be over by then."

Grant pulled out a dental liquid vacuum. He used it to clear away the excessive liquid in Rick's chest.

The two began to close everything up. They made sure everything was in it's proper place as they closed up the incisions they had made. After a few stitches here and there Grant pulled out his medical stapler.

Very carefully he stapled the skin together. The sound of the air pressure was loud in the quiet room. They had hardly spoken at all during the surgery.

Once that was done Grant set the stapler down. They didn't take Rick off of external life support yet. They gathered the tools and took them to the sink. Alex dropped them into a prepared disinfectant bath. Grant dimmed the lab lights and checked the machinery one final time. Everything looked good. Melissa had already left the lab. She wasn't handling all the blood very well.

Grant and Alex scrubbed the blood and oil from their hands. As they dried them off they talked about the next round of surgery. "Getting into his head will be a three hour surgery by itself." Alex said.

"I know, I hate to say it but that's got to be the only thing we do when we come back."

"I really hope we don't have to replace any memory circuits. That'll crush Rick, even if he only loses a few days." Alex murmured.

"But what needs to be replaced has to be. I just hope there's not too much damage to his brain. I can't stand the thought of what it might do." Grant whispered.

"Let's just hope the last four hours was our worst four hours." Alex said as they left the lab.

They walked past Melissa. "Do you need someone to sit up with Rick while you rest?" She asked.

"Would you do that Melissa?" Alex asked grateful.

"Not me, but Walter. He feels so useless right now." Melissa replied.

"That would be a big help to us. If someone is in there they can call us if something happens." Grant nodded. Walter was making his way slowly down the stairs. He leaned on the banister heavily.

"I can't very well sleep while my friend just lies there. Thanks for letting me help."

"Thank you Walter." Alex said.

The two took the elevator to their room. They got out of their bloodied clothes and climbed into bed in just their underwear. They were both hot. They didn't have long to wait for sleep. Exhaustion won and the two were sound asleep shortly.

* * *

Jessica couldn't sleep. She left Penny on the bed and headed down the stairs. She walked quietly remembering just where the squeaky spots were from childhood. She walked to the lab. She wanted to see Rick. No matter how bad he looked.

She entered in quietly unaware that Walter was seated inside and wide awake. The FBI agent remained silent as Jessica slipped in and approached the operating table slowly. The machinery hummed in her ears and she watched Rick's bare chest rise and fall. She glared at the staples in his chest. Hopefully they wouldn't scar too bad. Not that she minded, but she had noticed a change in Rick recently.

He wasn't liking the scars he came back from battle with. Something was up, and though he wouldn't say what it was, she was certain it had to do with cybernetics and surgeries.

She looked at his right hand. The melted off false skin left the steel skeleton visible. For a moment Jessica felt pity. She thought she knew what Rick was feeling. Every time he came out of a battle that should have killed him, every time he was forced to look at what he had become, every time Alex had to replace a cybernetic part, Rick felt just a little out of place.

At the moment his humanity was being questioned by the entire world. He was facing the fears and doubts of the people he was dedicated to protect. They had good reason to be cautious. Fiction had enjoyed making the cyborg into a villain.

She refrained from touching Rick as tears welled in her eyes. She loved Rick, loved him just the way he was. She didn't know what he was like before, and maybe that was a good thing. All she knew was that Rick was her husband and she loved him. Only a few weeks ago he'd held her shaking hands in his and promised to love her until he died.

She looked at his hand again and this time she grabbed it in her own. The metal fingers were warm and hard. She looked at the seams that opened up and revealed an array of tools with just a thought. Jessica looked at Rick's face. His nose was bandaged heavily and she imagined his long crooked nose bent out of shape.

Tears continued to fall as she just stood there. Walter remained silent. He didn't want to disturb this quiet moment.

Jess reached over and pushed Rick's blood caked hair back from his forehead. His right eye was swollen shut and a thin line of dried blood caked his eyelashes. She suddenly felt an anger. A deep sudden hatred for whoever had done this rose up in her heart. She let go of his hand and leaned close to his face. She could smell the blood and oil coming off of him, the scent of gunpowder, and the acrid smell of overheated circuits above the disinfectant.

She breathed it in. No, Rick didn't smell like she had imagined her husband would smell like. Cologne only made his usual odor worse, instead of covering it up it seemed to mingle with it. Jessica didn't mind Rick's scent though. It was unique to him alone.

She kissed his bruised cheek gently. She knew that Rick wouldn't open his eyes for her. Until his body was out of danger his systems were on a default Lockdown. He wouldn't wake up and Alex couldn't access the neural hub yet. It was akin to being in a coma. Jessica turned away and her bleary eyes met Walter's.

"Oh." She whispered in surprise. Her cheeks already red from tears grew darker.

"Sorry," Walter replied from the chair he was sitting on. "I didn't want to disturb you."

Jess nodded, "Thank you." She murmured.

"You look tired." Walter observed.

"I know." Jess replied weakly.

'You should go sleep." Walter added, "I'll keep my eyes on him."

Jess looked back at Rick and shuddered. She felt cold, tired, and furious. "Ok." She turned for the doors to the lab.

"Goodnight." Walter whispered after her.

She didn't respond. Either she didn't hear him or she was too busy muffling a sob to make a sound. She hurried out of the lab. She quickly climbed the stairs and went into the room where Penny was still asleep.

She took off her shoes and jeans and crawled into the bed next to the girl. Brain was on the bed curled up against Penny's stomach. The dog didn't even notice Jessica.

The woman forced her tears to stop. Her eyes burned. She needed to sleep, needed to forget the ordeal for a little while.

As she drifted her last thought was that someone would pay for this.


	8. Light at the Other End

Penny was the first one to wake up. And she knew better than to sneak into the lab. Her father was safe in Alex's care. Penny didn't need to see the extent of his injuries yet. Rick may have been the only man on Earth with a computer connected to his brain, but Penny liked to keep some mystery about him. She'd seen Alex do routine work on him. Seen the scientist plug her little handheld into the opening behind his ear or the intricate framework of his hands.

She didn't know what it was like to have a normal father, and she didn't wish for it either. Rick was special. "I was rescued by a fiery haired angel and given a charge to take care of you." He had once told her. "And I'm grateful to that angel every day."

Penny took Brain out to the back yard. Alex had made a small fenced in area on the grounds just for the girl. It was fitted like a playground with a jungle gym and a tree house. Penny carried Brain into the tree house up the ladder. She sat up there holding her dog. She was a little scared and worried and she didn't want to talk to anyone right now. Just sitting up there with the dog was all she needed.

* * *

Walter had been up all morning long. He'd not seen any change in Rick. When he finally stood up to make a quick trip to the rest room he worried that now would be when something went wrong. He hurried and when he came back he half expected some warning alarm to greet his ears. But nothing had changed. The agent relaxed a little. He stretched his left leg and looked at his right.

He was still amazed at how natural it felt. As if he hadn't lost it at all. He looked at Rick and sighed. The man was always taking a beating. Walter had noticed Rick's necessity to take on the brunt of any fight he was in. No matter who he was partnered with. He always tried to take the bullet, knowing what would kill Walter would just be a slight injury to himself.

Right now a lot of people were unsure if Rick was still a man. But Walter didn't need to think twice. A little machinery didn't change him. He was naturally altruistic. It's how he'd gotten into the situation that introduced him to Alex in the first place. He'd made a snap decision to forgo his own life to save a child's.

Walter knew he himself had doubted Rick at first. He'd simply been afraid of the science at work. He had learned the hard way that Rick was no less a man than the FBI agent. And now Walter was a recipient of Lawrence's work. He knew now that it was no sin to take the gift the scientists had to offer. It was a blessing. A second chance.

That's what Alex Lawrence dealt in. She didn't work to make men into weapons, she worked to give people a second chance. To give them a new way to fight when everyone else had given up on them. She wasn't a perfect woman, but she was an angel in disguise. She had put a lot into Rick. Not just money either. Walter could see there was an emotional investment. Alex loved the man like a brother.

Walter dared anyone to tell him Rick wasn't a man still. He could call a lot of men who were normal monsters. Especially whoever had done this. What kind of man could cause such destruction? Walter suddenly had an idea. He knew Rick had been working based on a theory. He needed to get Rick's research and see just what he had on his recent case.

* * *

As the morning faded to afternoon people began to get up and head downstairs. Melissa was in the kitchen making breakfast. French toast and bacon was waiting for everyone. Alex and Grant shoveled it in quickly. They didn't have time to compliment the woman's cooking or stay for seconds. They had a lot of work ahead of them. Melissa was only here for a few days anyways. She'd been traveling between New York and Reno a lot, at the FBI's expense of course.

There was a job back home she needed to keep and though Walter had been here for his treatment she hadn't been able to stay all summer long.

Jessica only ate about half of her plate. She just couldn't eat another bite. She watched Penny with her new puppy. The two were getting along well and that was good. As she had told Rick, the girl had needed a pet.

Jessica couldn't go into the lab to watch. She knew that Alex wouldn't allow it. She'd already snuck into the lab to see Rick earlier. That would have to hold her for a while.

She decided to take a long bath to unwind.

Alex and Grant checked everything and the tenseness in their shoulders began to dissolve slowly. Alex had her handheld connected to Rick again. It beeped once and she smiled. "He's out of critical condition." Alex said excitedly.

"Then let's get moving." Grant had already been preparing the tools for the next step. Alex nodded and they propped Rick up so that the back of his head was accessible.

If anything this was Rick's least favorite part. If Alex had to do any work with his Neural Hub he usually begged her to put him under. No offense, he just didn't like the sensation that came with someone opening up his skull.

Alex typed something into the handheld. She smoothed Rick's hair away from center of his head as a seam in his skin opened up.

She pulled the skin away from the metal hatch that had been inserted into the skull. She opened the hatch and began to check the series of digital relays grafted to her friend's brain. The neural hub was attached at the base of the spinal cord. She checked her handheld as she kept an eye on all of the connections.

The diagnostic screen came up.

: Critical Damage to Circuits: Comm47313, WeDef28690, Aut22416:

: Critical Damage to Digital Relay 467:

: Neural Hub Operating at 75% Efficiency:

Alex looked up at Grant who was waiting for the diagnosis. "We're lucky. His memory circuits aren't damaged in the least. But we've got to prepare and replace the circuits for communication, weapons systems, and the auto diagnosis scanner." She said.

"That's better than we were thinking." Grant replied.

"Alright. I've got to replace Relay 467 as well. You do your check and make sure there's no bruising or damage to his brain." Alex stood up from the chair she had been sitting on.

Grant took the seat and with a pair of latex gloves on his hands he gently began to check the brain tissue for any injury. Everything looked pretty good from his initial look. Nothing had come loose and the Cranial Buffers were still in place. When they'd first put the Neural Hub in there was a chance that any jostling of the brain could cause severe bruising or damage. So they'd attached the buffers made of a soft buoyant tissue-like substance to the inside of Rick's skull. This kept his brain from bouncing around and it had definitely been a smart precaution.

There wasn't anything more than a little bit of bruising on the right frontal lobe and some heat damage where the relay for the communications circuit attached to his brain. This wouldn't take more than a couple days to heal. When Grant was finished Alex was already in the process of preparing the new circuits. The tiny green boards were clean and new and she was downloading in Rick's presets.

Alex couldn't just stick a new circuit inside Rick's head. It would cause damage instantly. Every person's body was different. Their neural pathways varied, they reacted to certain things differently, and their thought processes were individual. Alex had taken extensive records before she'd even begun her work.

When Rick had first arrived at FutureTech she had begun with attaching him to a life support system. After that she'd taken measurements, x-rays, and recorded as much of Rick's thought process as she could.

Though it had been painful she had made him read several news paper articles and even sing a couple favorite songs. She'd recorded his voice and studied his brain and the way he reacted to specific stimuli. Rick had struggled to complete the necessary work, but Alex had assured that recording this information was important. It had taken nearly a month to record all of Rick's data. They needed to know every thing about him before they started replacing damaged organs.

If he was severely injured she could repair brain damage with a digital replacement. Also some of the work she initially did was capable of damaging his speech patterns and voice. The communications circuit helped maintain Rick's ability to speak and the programs that operated devices like the radio link.

Alex didn't much like Rick's accent. Midwestern just wasn't her cup of tea, but she wasn't going to deny Rick his identity. As Alex had always believed, people were a lot like a computer, they were programmed by their culture and childhood, and the finished product was not something you just redesigned for fun. Besides that Rick's accent was something he cherished. It reminded him of his roots.

The handheld began downloading Rick's communicative presets onto the new circuit. Alex was grateful that she still had them. When the FBI took everything from her she'd been unable to get the recorded data before they found it. The FBI had wanted the technology to take on a person's vernacular, thought patterns, and voice for use in infiltrating enemy territory. Luckily in a sense it was Rick's, sort of a backup if he ever went brain dead. The Supreme Court demanded that the FBI return it.

Alex replaced the other circuits and the relay. They weren't as critical. Alex had the other repairs complete long before the presets were downloaded. As she had expected it was taking a good three hours.

When the new circuit was finished she checked it. Once she put it inside Rick she wouldn't be able to touch it for twenty four hours. But Rick also wouldn't be able to speak for that period no matter what. She hated to do it to him, but the work was needed. He'd be a little unnerved when he first woke up, but it would be temporary. The circuit was necessary to his speech because it also controlled the vocal amplifier.

As soon as she was done with the replacement she and Grant began to take Rick off of the external life support. He was stable enough to not need any help.

Once he was on his own there was no telling when he would wake up. Alex and Grant had other work to prepare for. Rick's right eye was at the top of the list. She needed to figure that out. So they left the lab and Jessica took her place seated beside her husband waiting for the moment when he'd come to.

* * *

Jessica was snoozing when Rick did finally wake up. The past few hours he'd been dreaming. Though he didn't remember what his dreams were about. His first thought was pain. Everything hurt. Every part of his body ached. His head was pounding and there was a familiar pressure that came with the pain. Alex had been in his head. That meant it was serious.

Breathing was a little tight, but he didn't feel like he was short of breath. He couldn't lift his arms though. His legs were just as immobile as his arms. He could hear a familiar heartbeat nearby. He felt the dim lights on his face.

Everything felt ok for the most part. He hurt, but he was alive and he could tell he wasn't hooked up to anything. He had no shirt on, but he felt the elastic of thin pajama pants around his waist.

Rick opened his left eye. His right wouldn't open. He glanced around at the familiar ceiling of the lab in the Lawrence estate.

He remembered what had brought him here. Richter had ambushed him and almost killed him. At first he was angry and then he was upset because he knew how much trouble he'd caused his family.

Rick turned his head and though it spiked the pain worse he searched for someone. Jess was snoozing on a chair beside him. He looked at her for a moment before calling her name. Though his mouth moved and air passed from his lips there was no sound. Rick knew he hadn't lost his hearing, he could hear Jess beside him just fine.

Rick swallowed, his lips were dry and he licked them. Again he tried to speak. _Jessica._ He called but no noise escaped. He was beginning to worry that something was wrong. Rick lifted his head a little bit and tried to sit up. His body begrudgingly obeyed and after some effort he was sitting up. He winced at the pain.

Rick reached his left hand for Jess. He could see that she had been troubled. Her eyes were swollen and pink even closed. She looked tired, shadows under her eyes made her look thin and weak. Her mussed hair was around her face. He wondered how long he had been in surgery.

His fingers brushed her knee. She jolted suddenly and opened her eyes. She stared at Rick for a moment. Then she lunged for a hug and crushed him in a tight embrace. He squirmed in her arms unable to voice his pain aloud. She pulled back. "Sorry," She murmured. "How do you feel?"

Rick looked at her and pointed at his throat with his right hand. He opened his mouth and shook his head.

Jess didn't seem surprised. "Alex had to replace your communications circuit. You've still got twenty hours before you'll be able to talk."

A panic in Rick's eyes went dead suddenly. He relaxed a little. _Jeez. I really hate it when I wake up from surgery after I get my ass kicked. _He thought.

"Why don't you relax. You've still got some repairs ahead of you." Jess said putting her hand on his. "You shouldn't overexert yourself right now. It's almost dinner time. Are you hungry?" Rick nodded. "I'll be right back you just rest." Jess kissed his cheek before walking out of the room.

Rick watched her go and sighed silently. He felt like such an idiot. And now he had to wait twenty hours before he could say anything. All he knew was that he was tired of this.


	9. Deafening Silence

Rick sat there and listened as Alex explained the extent of his injuries. "Rick you took a lot more damage than I've seen in the past. They managed to severe your heart and trachea, you took thirty bullets, you were electrocuted, the response team got there before they fried you." She paused. Rick wanted to say something, writing it down wouldn't convey his feelings.

"We had to replace a dozen circuits and almost twenty relays. You're right eye is a total mess, we still don't know how we're going to fix it yet. Your nose is a jigsaw puzzle, you're communications are still down, and you're right arm needs to have the skin replaced. I need to realign your targeting array, you've got a few damaged structural supports, and you've got a minor concussion."

Rick shook his head. He was still shocked by just how much they still needed to do on him. Jessica had been holding his left hand until now. He pulled it free so he could right down what he wanted to say. He scratched it out quickly and Jess read it aloud.

"I know I'm down for a while, but how long is recovery goin' to be." She cut the g off to emphasize that she was speaking for Rick.

"At least three weeks." Grant answered. "You're not doing anything for a while."

Rick glowered with his good eye.

"We don't have a choice."

Rick let an exasperated breath out. It was about the best he could do at voicing his displeasure.

"I know how much you hate being in bed especially when the culprit is on the loose, but I have decided not to activate your weapons systems until you're fully healed." Alex snapped.

Jess nodded. "Rick, you've got to understand that this is in your best interest."

He gave her a nonplussed look and shrugged. He flipped to the next page of the legal pad Alex had given him. He still had sixteen hours without his voice. It was driving him nuts not being able to talk.

"That's jus' dandy." Jessica read as he wrote. "But don't do me any favors."

Everyone looked at him sharply. "Is something wrong Rick?" Alex asked. Rick glared back at her in response. "Jess, is there something you're not telling me?"

Jessica looked at Rick and decided that if he was going to be stubborn about the situation she might as well share what she had realized.

"Rick's not mad about having to stay put. He's just put off by what's been going on lately. He feels like the students who've been attacked by Richter were just to get at Rick. That and he's also just a little tired of waking up from a battle in your lab." Jess said softly.

Rick nodded. She knew exactly what was bothering him.

"In that case you'll have to deal with the lab." Alex replied, "and as for Richter, well, he'll just have to wait. For now though, we won't let him know you survived. Tomorrow Jess and Penny are going to wear black and go to get your recent work. He'll be watching for a sign. We aren't going to make any announcements, but for the next few days we're going to let him think you're dead."  
Rick nodded. It sounded like a good idea. Hopefully Richter would at least lay low now. But Rick also hated that. He was going to lose the only trail he had on the murderer. Rick wanted him gone.

Alex waited for Rick to say something before she remembered that he couldn't. "Well, I'll be in later tonight to check on you." She and Grant left the room. Jess looked at Rick.

"I'm sorry." She whispered. He shook his head as if it wasn't necessary. "But that is how you feel right?" She asked. Her brown eyes searched his grey one.

Rick nodded slowly and wrote again. _Yes. I'm just worried that I'm causing a lot of trouble right now. I'll be fine though. It's late, you should go sleep. _

Jess kissed his cheek. "I hate to leave you all alone in here." She gestured to the lab. Rick shrugged. He turned so his legs dangled off of the hospital bed. Jess raised her eyebrows in question. Rick was supposed to stay off his feet.

His response was a partial smile. He motioned for her to go ahead and leave. He actually wanted some time to think.

She looked a little hurt but she gave him a smile and headed out. "Good night Rick." She said turning to see his reaction.

He mouthed her a message _good night Jess._

She closed the door behind her.

Rick sat for a moment looking at the door. He probably could have been less cold to her, but right now he wasn't feeling very friendly. Rick slowly worked his way towards the edge of the bed. He didn't like the idea of sitting on his ass for so long.

He carefully placed his bare feet on the floor. His left foot reacted to the cool floor the way it was supposed to. A jolt of cold ran up his spine. His right though was sort of muffled as though he were wearing a sock. He put his weight on his arms and stood up.

His legs protested at bearing his weight, but it was only because of the damaged infrastructure. His right leg had taken a good beating. His knee didn't want to bend so he didn't force it. He'd learned the hard way over the years not to force such things.

He took a few stiff steps towards the main room of the lab. He needed to just walk around a little bit.

His body was slowly feeling better. His lungs didn't feel so tight anymore. He walked into the little bathroom off of the lab. Alex had put it in so that she didn't have to run half way across the house to answer nature's call.

The first thing Rick did was take a look at himself. He always hated how Alex didn't like to let him see himself in a mirror. She thought it was bad for his confidence. He gingerly removed the unbuttoned shirt he was wearing.

He looked worse than after his fight with Charles Abernathy. His right eye was a swollen bloody mess closed tightly. The heavy bandages had been removed from his nose as Alex prepared to go ahead and insert some metal bracing to ensure it healed to it's original straightness. Two small plastic tubes had been stuck up his nostrils to keep his air flow unobstructed.

Above his right eye was a line of stitches parallel to his eyebrow. His right cheek was bruised. His upper lip was split and scabbed over. The right side of his neck had a few scrapes and a sewn up bullet wound.

His shoulders had a couple cuts and stitches. The long line of staples along the middle of his chest made the red line of healing flesh more noticeable. He had quite a few bullet wounds along his chest and stomach. Not to mention the original entry wound of the little metal claw. His right hand had the skin melted off from just above the wrist. His right leg wouldn't bend at the knee.

Over all he was lucky to be alive. Everyone had made a big deal over the fact that he'd been without blood and oxygen for a while. He should have more damage than a concussion. But it wasn't a serious one even, he hadn't forgotten who he was or what had happened. The last moments of pain he remembered vividly.

_You really are a mess._ He told himself. He had three weeks ahead of him. That would be too long. He'd probably be healed enough to go back to work in a few days. Alex wouldn't activate his weapons until the three weeks were up.

But he didn't need the weapons. He could probably hold his own with a gun and his wits if he needed. But if he wanted to catch Richter, he might need those weapons. He wanted to finish this battle without Alex's weapons and tools. Not only was it to get the job done, but to prove that he didn't need the cybernetics. He was human, and he could win a fight without the machinery.

He knew that everyone was going to call him crazy. He would get a lot of crap, but right now he wasn't really wanting to rely on the machinery Alex had given him.

He slowly put his shirt on leaving it open. He turned and walked back out into the lab. Alex was just coming into the lab. She caught sight of Rick and her face turned from thoughtful to dark.

"What are you doing?" She asked.

Rick wanted to say he was just taking a stroll. But he couldn't reply.

"You're supposed to be in bed. I told you that your right leg isn't sound enough for pressure." Rick just looked at her. He didn't have the energy to make any sort of attempt to communicate with her. "Rick, I know you hate bed rest, but you seriously need it. Don't worry about getting back on your feet or taking care of Richter. Just worry about getting better." She walked over to him.

Before he could protest she put her shoulder under his right arm. "Now let's get you back to bed." She ordered.

He let her bear some of his weight as they went back to the smaller room. When he was back in bed Alex shook her head. "You'll be back on your feet soon." She assured.

Rick leaned back and ignored Alex as she pulled out her handheld. "I just need to go ahead and make some adjustments." She said. Rick turned his head to the left and she carefully plugged the cord into the opening behind his ear. He winced at the sudden brief jolt of pain.

"I'm sorry Rick." Alex said now sincere and apologetic. "I know this is hard and you're tired of feeling different from the rest of us. But there's no way to change that. You're unique Rick, you've got something that most people don't." He thought of a number of sarcastic responses.

"You're altruistic. You always put others before yourself. You worked yourself so hard yesterday that you had no chance in that fight. When you go after Richter, remember that you're doing it for those innocent people. Don't do it cause you want to get even." She whispered.

Rick listened ashamed of how he'd been acting. "I know you're stressed, in pain, and feeling alone, but you're never alone. We're here Rick. Don't shut us out just because your pride is wounded."

He turned his head to look at her and in his eyes she could see his apology.

"I accept." She said with a smile. "Now you get some sleep. Tomorrow we'll take care of your leg and you'll be able to talk by the afternoon." She said removing the plug. He nodded. "Oh, I disconnected the power from your leg, I need everything cool in the morning for repairs." Rick nodded to let her know he had heard her.

Of course she'd find some reason to force him to rest. She left the lab.

Rick wondered if it was stupid to choose to fight without his weapons. He knew he was wrong to take his anger out on his family, but he wasn't going to change how he felt in a few seconds of long hard thought.

He felt like he relied on cybernetics too much. It was one thing to keep him alive, it was another to see just how strong and powerful a guy could get.

A little disconnect from targeting arrays and automatic weapons systems might be good for him. It at least would give him time to think. Hopefully he was just in a mood, that's probably all it was, but until he cooled down it was best to let it run it's course.

He'd felt similar feelings over the years, just never as strong as this. Probably too much of Derek Smith's columns getting to him. Whatever he was feeling, he hoped it would leave soon.

He decided to get some rest. It would do him some good. Even if he didn't feel like sleeping, he could feel that he needed it.


	10. Recovery and Trickery

Rick watched with his usual curiousness as Alex began to peel away the synthetic skin of his right leg. His voice was still out so he just watched. A night of sleep had cooled his jets and he was feeling more like himself. In fact he was feeling silly for his immediate reaction. In all actuality he wasn't ashamed of himself, he was just tired of others trying to make him feel that way.

Alex revealed the rather badly dented skeletal frame. Grant and Alex had agreed on one thing when it came to Project Guardian those many years ago. And that was that the human skeleton was a brilliant design. So the prosthetics were fitted with steel replications of the natural bone structure.

The knee cap was smashed against the fibula. Alex shook her head and sighed. "I thought as much."

"That's no big deal." Grant replied. "It's a simple replacement." He added turning to head out of the operating room.

"I'm going to have to keep you off your feet for a few days." Alex began gently. She knew Rick's reaction would be severe and she thanked her lucky stars that he couldn't speak for the moment.

Rick's eye flashed. He absolutely loathed wheelchairs. He hated not being able to stand on his own two feet. A though hit him, _Whatever made me think I could fight without my cybernetics? If I don't use my legs to stand I can't fight._ He was definitely a little hotheaded the previous night.

"Come now Rick, there's no way around it." He crossed his arms and glared. "Fine, be stubborn about it, but you'll be strapped down into that wheelchair for three days if you won't cooperate." Alex growled.

Grant returned and upon hearing that gave both of them a questioning glance. "Are you two going to be like this the entire surgery?" He asked.

Rick looked at him and tried to say no. Alex smirked. "If he keeps up his attitude I'll be leaving in the middle of the surgery." She raised her eyebrows.

Rick glanced at the pad of paper and scribbled something quickly with his left hand. He offered it to Grant. The man took it and then laughed. Alex scowled.

"What?" She asked.

Grant simply passed her the note. _Forget jumpy June Bugs, she's a red hot Angry June Bug. _

Alex threw the pad back at Rick who was silently laughing. He smiled at her mischievously.

"Alright Rick, enough games." She curbed her annoyance and began to remove the damaged piece. Rick watched again. Alex carefully pulled up on the rather smashed metal and it slowly pried free. Grant helped and the two removed it without too much work.

"The connections aren't hard to fix so this shouldn't take too long." Grant said trying to ease them both. He didn't like it when Alex was angry, but with Rick causing more trouble than he should have it was just a little more tense than he preferred.

Alex nodded and they set to work on the replacement. As they attached the new steel bone to the joint connection Rick was glad he couldn't feel it. He didn't want to know what it felt like.

Within an hour they were closing up the skin and reactivating the connections to the leg. At first Rick winced as a slight pain registered. After a few moments it felt normal except for a stiffness that reminded him of the time he'd pulled a tendon up near his knee in high school. He realized just why he couldn't walk on it. As with the communications circuit it had to become familiar to Rick's body. With cybernetics everything had to be adjusted to his own levels of performance and use.

Most people had to recovery extremely slowly after a knee replacement, but for Rick three days and he'd be walking around just fine. The knee of course had some sort of digital relay inside that allowed it to adjust pressure and whatnot depending on how hard Rick was on it.

"Are you going to give me grief about the wheelchair?" Alex asked. She had cooled down some.

Rick shook his head. "Good. Then let's get you to the dining room for breakfast." She said. Grant pushed in a wheelchair and Rick allowed the two to help him down off the bed. He sat down slowly and Alex holding his right leg slowly bent his knee.

Grant was going to push Rick around but before the scientist had time Rick had already grabbed the outside wall of the wheels and was spinning them himself.

* * *

The dining room was busy. Penny was the first to see Rick coming and skipped to him in a black dress. She was smiling as she threw a hug around him. "I was worried about you." She whispered into his ear. She knew he couldn't say anything back so she started speaking again. "I hope Jess and I can trick Richter today. You think he'll believe it? I'm even going to cry when we walk into the station. Hanson is prepared to hand over your stuff and he's even going to allow the press to announce that we're going to bury you next Saturday. They want to give Alex time to have you at least ready for something if Richter shows up to the fake funeral." Penny told him everything in one shot.

Alex had been holding out on him. Three weeks was for regular duty, she hadn't mentioned the pretend funeral or that Rick would be there. He gave the scientist who was backing into the kitchen without meeting his gaze a rather nasty glare.

"Are you hungry dad?" Penny asked. Rick nodded. Penny very gingerly climbed into his lap. She sat off of his chest. She could see the long staple marked line. Alex wouldn't let him button his shirt up, even for breakfast.

Jess kissed his cheek as he wheeled up to the table. Walter and Melissa were not around and before Rick could write down a question Jess answered it for him.

"Walter and Melissa left to go back to New York for a few weeks. Walter's got to sign his paperwork so he can get back to work."

Rick nodded, that was probably a good thing. "They'll be gone for a while, so you're going to go to the funeral dressed like Walter." Penny said. Rick grinned, he was liking this plan more and more now that he knew about it. He'd always liked a good sting operation when they went down perfectly.

Penny carefully got off her father and took the seat to his left. Grant and Alex were already seated. Jess joined them after bringing in a stack of pancakes nearly a foot tall. Rick took a deep breath and then smiled.

He looked at the spread and grinned. There were biscuits and bacon but what really made him excited were the grits. There was a great big casserole dish of homemade grits.

Alex glared at the dish with disdain. She hated grits. She didn't really like biscuits either. Rick on the other hand had grown up on grits and biscuits. They were his favorite.

Jessica had learned that when made properly she enjoyed them every now and again. Rick had taught her how to make them. Breakfast was about the one meal he knew how to make.

As they set into breakfast everyone else talked. Penny and Rick kept quiet and listened. "So you'll go see Hanson after breakfast. Remember to look really upset and don't say anything that might give us away. Penny you keep those tears going. If you giggle they'll know something is up. Rick, you're not allowed outside of this house until the funeral. Sorry, but you're going to stay away from the windows and keep as low a profile as you can." Grant was going over the plans again.

Everyone nodded as he reminded them of their part.

Rick went for seconds before anyone else was done with round one. "Somebody's hungry." Alex teased.

Rick's fork, covered with grits, suddenly pulled back. Rick placed the index finger of his right hand on the tines and he pushed against it. After a second of silent watching the fork the grits sailed across the table and landed neatly on Alex's pancake. Her eyebrow twitched as she stared at the blob of tan gritty goop. She looked up at Rick who was smiling.

"Impressive" She said "I accept that as payback for not telling you about the funeral." She smiled back to him.

Rick nodded pleasantly and went back to eating.

Penny was giggling. It was rare that Rick played with his food, but when he did his daughter always found it amusing. She knew better than to try such a stunt herself. She had an idea that if she tried it, the outcome might not be so calculated. There was a chance she'd end up making a rather unsightly mess. And she didn't want that.

Jessica hurried and then went up stairs. She came back down as everyone else was finishing in a black skirt and blouse. She held black heels in her hand as she hurried down the stairs.

Rick noticed with a pang that the two could very well have been dressed like that today for real. Penny finished quickly and then vanished she came back carrying Brain in her arms. The puppy was licking her face excitedly. In one hand she held a black leash tightly. "We're going to take him with us so Aunt Alex and Uncle Grant can finish fixing you up." She explained to Rick.

He thought it funny how everyone seemed to know what he was going to say without him having to say it. Then again they knew him well enough.

He hugged Penny and kissed Jess as they left the mansion. He would have liked to watch them drive off. They looked back and smiled bravely before suddenly turning very solemn. Jess still had enough emotional turmoil in her system to pull real tears into her eyes as she walked out the door. Penny simply hung her head clinging to her dog. It was a convincing scene that made Rick shudder.

Grant grabbed the handles of the wheelchair suddenly and spun Rick back towards the lab. "It's time to get started on your eye." He said.

Rick glanced up at his friend questioningly. Rick thought that Alex needed more time to figure it out.

"I've got an optometrist friend here in town who is on her way as we speak. She's going to take a look at your eye and see if it's salvageable."

Rick raised his left eyebrow. He wondered if Alex was going to be around. She had issues letting other women work on Rick. He didn't understand it himself, but he knew that it could get dangerous in an instant.

He just hoped that this eye doctor didn't over step her bounds.


	11. You Finally get a Say in the Matter

Alex watched from Rick's left side as the stranger carefully looked at his ravaged eye. Rick winced and tried not to shut his eye as she tried to see the damage. The woman had short brown hair and wore a special pair of glasses that magnified what she was working on. Her tools were set out on a tray next to her.

"Hold still please," the optometrist, Natalie Shaft, murmured gently.

Rick sighed. He was trying his best and since he couldn't say a word he couldn't explain that she was hurting him.

"Well," Dr. Shaft began. "This is a rather unique case. I've never worked on an eye with cybernetic implants, but it looks like it should heal just fine if you replace the damaged lenses and camera." She said quietly. Everyone could tell she was uneasy. It wasn't hard to figure out why.

She continued to stare at Rick's eye in shock, this could very well be the future of eye surgery. The skills she had would become outdated if all people had to do was get a special lens inserted into their pupil.

Shaft pulled back and looked at Grant. "I think you'll handle this just fine." She said hurriedly. "It's nothing that you don't know how to fix I'm sure." She added. The woman turned to Rick and half-smiled awkwardly. "It was a pleasure to meet you, I hope your eye heals." Her eyes dropped to his still skinless right hand and she shuddered ever so slightly.

Rick shrugged as she turned for the door. "I do have other patients to attend to."

"Wait a minute." Alex said. "Just what are we supposed to do? Are there any medications we need to give him? How long will the healing process be?" She was getting agitated. No doctor just gave a quick look over and then left a patient without proper instruction.

A look of hope in Shaft's eyes vanished. "Well," She began caught off guard by Alex. "You'll need to handle what you created first. Replace or repair the implants and then let the eye heal itself. If you use this solution on his eyes three times a day you won't get any infections, and if it doesn't heal up for the most part in six weeks then you might need to replace the eye completely." She said quickly. She offered Alex a little brown prescription bottle from the tool kit she had with her.

"That sounds better." Grant said gently. "You forget that we're not specialists in this case. Our original work on Rick's eyes was done with an optometrist there to help us out."

"I do apologize Dr. Jackson." Shaft said. "But I must be going now. Call me if you have any questions or need any other medications."

"We will do that. Allow me to walk you to the door." Grant said. The two left the lab quietly.

Alex turned to Rick and sighed. "She sure didn't want to stay." She looked at the bottle and nodded. "I guess it's time we get to work. I'm going to apologize now, but this is going to be long and painful."

When Grant came back in he brought in a foam lined box the size of his palm. "I already grabbed what we'll need." He said. He looked at Rick apologetically. "We'd put you under Rick, but we have to make sure you're ok as we go along."

Rick nodded. He was almost back to having his voice. A few more hours to go.

* * *

Penny cried heavily as they walked back out of the precinct. Sergeant Hanson had given them a large box full of everything from Rick's desk. He knew they could bring it back after they had tricked Richter. Walter had been the one to suggest such a course of action, and Hanson had agreed that it would be the best way to get back.

Penny had Brain's leash in one hand and the badge Rick normally carried in his pocket in the other. Rick had been so tired that night that he had left it on his desk. Brain was barking happily as they walked down the steps towards Jessica's blue sedan.

The girls got into the car and drove off slowly. They didn't see the man across the street watching them. He picked up a cell phone and typed a quick text. He sent it.

The man who received the text grinned as he read it:

Gadget's girls just picked up his stuff. Dressed in black.

Richter nodded and deleted the message. "Our target was destroyed." He announced to the girl waiting next to him. The blond woman smiled.

"Claw's weapons worked just as he said they would. With your end of the bargain complete we can leave here as soon as you are ready." She rubbed his shoulder longingly.

"Not till I see him in the ground. His funeral. Search the news for an announcement about a police death and a police burial." He replied putting a hand on hers. "And then we will get out of this stinking state."

She kissed him then. "Good."

* * *

Rick winced. The past hour they had spent removing the damaged implant and any remnants that had shattered. The pain was well more than he had expected. He wondered why Alex hadn't replaced his eyes completely in the first place.

"I think we have everything out." Alex said pulling back so Rick could see her face. "Now we're going to clean the wound and replace the implant. It will be a good three weeks before your vision is restored to normal." She always tried to make sure she explained what was happening. It was nice to know just what he was getting himself into. It was the reason he'd let McDowell's team work on him in the first place.

She'd spent that first six weeks not only collecting data, but preparing him mentally. He had been briefed on all of the facts that mattered. She'd explained the way certain cybernetics worked, even shown him the models they had made.

She carefully put a few drops of a solution into the wound. It hurt. Rick bit his lower lip and was glad that the hospital bed they had him on was in an upright position. It made it easier if he couldn't pull back.

He felt tears escape as his body reacted to the sudden pain. After a few moments the stinging began to fade. Alex and Grant seemed to be done for the moment.

"You're eye needs to rest and it's about time for lunch." Grant said. "We'll bring it to you in here, we don't want you leaving the clean room environment."

Rick didn't have to ask why. He knew that anything floating in the air could cause problems with his eye.

The two left and were back in no time. Hastily made roast beef sandwiches was the only option.

They ate slowly giving themselves a break.

But they soon were back to work putting in the new implant. Rick had stared at it for the brief moment he could see it. The implant was a small round device the size of a pea with a camera lens fitted on one end. The camera lens was bigger about the size of his iris. At the back was a single metal prong that he knew probably attached to some wiring that had replaced his optical nerve.

What surprised him was that the whole implant went in behind his iris and cornea. It didn't replace his natural vision, but enhanced it. He admired the design. At least he knew his eyes were his own.

Alex was slowly trying to make the connection but her hand shook at the last second and she poked the soft flesh inside Rick's eye.

"Ow!" Rick exclaimed.

Grant and Alex looked at him. "Glad to hear you." Grant said.

"Sorry," Alex murmured. "Thank goodness, I was beginning to worry that something had gone wrong with that new circuit."

She went back to her task and in a moment Rick felt a jolt of pain as she connected the implant to the nerve.

"You won't be able to see until your eye heals." Rick felt something akin to his eye being closed like a door. His right eye felt weird. It would be a few days before it felt normal probably. And as Alex had said he couldn't see anything with his right eye. He also only had half of the digital display screen which seemed unbalanced.

"I want to thank you." Rick began. It felt good to hear his own voice. He could feel his vocal cords vibrating as he spoke. "For puttin' me back together yet again. I also want to apologize. I wasn't in a very good mood yesterday. I'm not really mad at anyone. I was just annoyed that I let myself get ambushed like I did."

Alex waved a hand dismissively. "We knew you weren't serious. Besides it's our job to get you back on your feet when you take a few hits. That's what we enjoy doing."

"Still, you could have told me that we weren't going to let Richter go just like that."

"It was Walter's idea and I didn't want to tell you until you were ready." Alex replied.

"I'm always ready." Rick replied smiling. "Now when are you going to take care of my hand?" He raised his right hand for emphasis. "It drives me crazy that I can't feel anything."

Alex grinned. "Grant is going to take care of that while I get something to cover that eye. Until it heals we don't want any air to get into it. The only time we take the dressing off is to put these drops in." Alex offered him the bottle. "I think you're well enough to handle that task."

He nodded. She left and Grant sighed. "I always get all the fun work." But he said it with a smile. "I must admit I never get tired of fixing you up."

"Thanks I think." Rick replied.

"It just means that I haven't lost my passion as a doctor." Grant said as he took Rick's hand and looked at it. He fingered the jagged edge of the skin. "Feel that?"

"Nuh-uh." Rick replied. Grant moved his fingers up a little bit.

"Now?"

"Vaguely." The fingers moved up a quarter inch and Rick felt the movement plainly. "That's normal." He said.

Grant nodded and picked up what looked like a glove. It had everything from wrinkled knuckles to fingernails.

Rick held his hand still while Grant slipped it on the metal structure. It was much longer than necessary but Grant had to remove some excess anyways. He took an exacto knife and slowly stuck it into Rick's arm halfway to the elbow. Rick winced.

Grant slowly cut around Rick's arm. The detective grimaced but said nothing. He was just glad that he could feel pain like that.

Grant cut the band of synthetic flesh and set it aside. He pulled out a couple of long paper thin clear wires. These he placed inside Rick's arm under the existing flesh in several exact spots. When these were in place he pulled the new skin down over them until he heard a soft click.

Grant then cut the excess from the new skin. He pulled out a needle and grinned. "I do apologize, but I find it rather relaxing to have to sew you up."

Rick shuddered. "You've got issues." He replied not entirely convinced it weren't true.

Grant stuck the needle in and a new series of little pinpricks of pain started up. The healing process was always painful. Especially for Rick. When Grant was done Alex began covering Rick's right eye with a dark piece of cloth glued to some gauze. She taped this to his face with a rather strong medical tape.

"I'm going to go ahead and take care of your nose now too." Alex warned. Rick nodded and carefully pulled the plastic tubes out of his nostrils.

"Those things were startin' to bug me." He said preparing for a new wave of pain. He couldn't believe his nose was broken. He'd never broken it in his entire life. Not even the explosion in the airport had done that.

Alex carefully cut into the soft flesh and began to place small metal wires against the shattered cartilage.

Rick couldn't keep from gasping in pain as he breathed through his mouth. Every touch brought new pain and this pain lingered. He tried to think about Jess and Penny coming back soon. At least he'd be presentable when they came back.

He winced and pulled back at one point grabbing Alex's wrist. "Jus wait a moment." He pleaded. She nodded.

"I forget how painful this is for you." She admitted. "I would have liked to do this while you were unconscious but we didn't have time. I had so much work to do. My first priority was to take care of the damage to your cybernetics. Grant took care of the organic damage. He had you open for a long time. At one point your heart stopped and I panicked. I almost used a defibrillator on you."

Rick nodded solemnly. Alex had warned him once that he was never to allow someone to use any such device on him. While an electric shock was good for a standard human heart Rick's was partially cybernetic. While you might succeed in starting the organic half the mechanical half would fail.

"I'm such a mess." He said quietly.

"Yes, but you're our mess." Alex replied. She put her hand on his. "Remember, we will always put your cybernetic ass back together again." She grinned.

"I appreciate it."

Alex finally left Rick's nose alone with one final tweak using a photo to make sure she had his nose right. Rick grimaced as she carefully pushed it just a tad to the left. Convinced it was right she gently sewed the skin back up and then put a bandage over it.

Rick was back in his wheelchair and headed out of the lab before Alex could think of anything else that needed her attention. He was done for the day with pain and treatment. If there was more she could deal with it tomorrow.

Not to mention Rick's sensitive ears had picked up a car engine. He recognized Jess's sedan and grinned. He waited at the end of the entry way to greet them.

The door opened and Penny and Brain rushed in a bag of groceries in her arms as she raced in. "Hi dad!" She called as she passed him on her way to the kitchen.

Jess followed after the big box in her hands. Her face was still red and Rick knew she had been crying real tears most of the day. "Hey darlin'" He greeted with a brave smile.

She set the box down on a table and accepted his embrace. He kissed her cheek. "You were really cryin' weren't you? I'm alright. A few days and I'll be back on my feet. And Saturday we take Richter down."

"It's been a hard couple days." She whispered back. "When this is over promise me you'll take a break from work."

"Done." He replied without a second thought. He was just thinking that a week or two away from the precinct might be nice. At least it would give him time to heal up without Alex breathing down his neck about letting his body rest. "I promise."


	12. An Ambush for an Ambush

The week went by pretty quickly. As everyone had promised Rick's fake funeral was in full swing. He tried to relax. But even he couldn't help reading the paper and watching the news. It wasn't amusing how serious it looked. The local paper had announced the ceremony on Thursday. The news had taken the story up and even Sergeant Hanson was interviewed on the details.

Of course there weren't too many details Hanson could give out. He shied away from her asking anything about if they knew who the killer was and if they would take any precautions at the funeral.

"We're not sure who did this. We don't even have a reason to worry about the funeral." Hanson replied straight faced. They wanted their target to feel comfortable coming up to the funeral home that was going to be crawling with police.

Chances were Richter would just stand far back and watch quietly.

When Saturday arrived everyone did their best to get sad. Everyone had their own ways. Alex took her time getting Rick ready. He wasn't very fond of the wig she was adjusting on his head.

"This feels ridiculous." He complained.

"Yes but Walter's hair is lighter than yours. Now the shade of the oak tree should hide your features well if you keep your head down. Don't try to look around at everyone. Just focus on trying to pick Richter out of the crowd. You're job is to make sure we get him."

Rick nodded. "I know." He said. She replaced the covering over his eye with one that was almost a perfect match for his skin color.

"That should do it. Remember, head down. Grant will push you around so whisper to him. And keep your voice down. That accent of yours is going to give you away." No matter what, his voice would always be the one thing that bothered her.

Rick just smiled at her.

He adjusted the black tie again. It was pressing against the stitches in his neck. While Rick's bruises and majority of shallow gashes were faded enough that a little makeup hid them completely, his deeper injuries were still painful.

Rick was already in the wheelchair. He had to leave the mansion in it.

Loading up the car Penny tried very hard not to talk to her father. She wanted to smile at him and talk about what was going to happen.

The car ride was subdued. "Everyone know what they're doin'?" Rick asked.

"Yes." Came the group response.

Grant was driving the Explorer while Alex pulled out a bottle of actor's tears. "Anyone need these?" She asked. She had an onion in a bag that she'd been saving. "Everyone should take a whiff of this before we get out of the car."

Penny wrinkled her nose and took Jessica's hand in her left and Rick's in her right. She held them tightly. The girl was obviously scared of losing either of them.

At the funeral home a crowd of police in their blues let the car through to the parking space nearest the plot of earth that had been dug up.

Only a few of them were aware of what was happening. Rick kept his head down.

Alex passed her onion around after taking a big sniff of it. Her eyes immediately began to water. She held it up to her husband who breathed it in deeply. It took a few moments to work but the corners of his eyes grew moist.

Jessica breathed in the onion and shuddered. She had more emotional stimuli for tears than she cared to admit.

Penny obediently sniffed it before adjusting her black dress. Rick kept his head down as Grant helped him into the wheelchair.

* * *

From Rick's standpoint the ceremony was rather dull. It was a closed casket service. Jessica had refused to speak. She didn't think she could look at Rick sitting alone in a corner of the field and keep up her sorrowful act. Alex on the other hand was more than eager to make a small statement.

She kept it to the point. That she had grown to love Rick as a brother and that he would be sorely missed. She had lost a dear friend. Her sister was lucky to catch him and she was sorry that she couldn't work another miracle on the skilled detective.

Rick watched the people with his good eye. He was pretty sure he saw Richter standing at the far back of the crowd. The man was standing with a blond woman. Both were dressed in black leather.

Once or twice Rick had to look down when the man glanced his way.

As the service came to an end Richter began to pull back slowly. Rick wheeled towards him his head still low. He made a wide arc as if he were heading somewhere else and suddenly decided to go another way. Richter looked at him with cautious disdain.

Everyone had turned to the two men. Greg Tanner in his fancy uniform was already slowly approaching. He had been the first to jump at the chance of getting to sting Richter. Unlike the movies, it was not very often that such an elaborate plan worked perfectly.

Richter could feel the dozens of eyes on him and turned to look at the armed officers approaching. His eyes darkened. The woman next to him grabbed his arm and gasped.

Rick stood up in one quick fluid motion removing the wig. He offered Richter his lopsided grin. "I guess you're more gullible than I suspected." He said coolly. "I had you fooled didn't I?" Guns were raised. There was no way out of this one.

"You bastard." Richter growled. He kept his arms at his sides.

"You shoulda done your homework a little better." Rick whispered. "You forgot that I'm one stubborn man. It'll take more than fancy weapons to put me in the ground."

Richter tried to punch Rick on his blind side but the detective had been expecting it. "Ya know what your problem is?" Rick said grabbing the other man's arm in a vice grip. "You're plain predictable." He murmured.

Richter tried to yank free. "Take your filthy hand off of me!"

Guns grew nearer and Richter's partner was grabbed and cuffed without resistance. "Don't make it harder than it has to be." Rick said softly. "I ain't in the mood to fight you."

Richter spat in Rick's face. The saliva struck him just under the left eye. Rick didn't flinch. "Cuff him." He said coldly.

Greg was behind him in a heartbeat a pair of cuffs out and ready. As Richter was cuffed and read his rights he yelled at Rick who watched with a solemn gleam in his eye. "You're a devil! Do you hear me! Only a demon could withstand such an attack and survive! Mark my words you are no man!"

Rick turned away and scrubbed at his face with his sleeve. Jessica was there hugging him. "It's over." She whispered. "Let's just go home and take a break." She pleaded.

Penny grabbed his hand and tugged on him. "Let's go daddy." She begged.

"Yes, let's." Rick agreed. He let them pull him along as his fellow cops focused on watching Richter get stuffed into the car. There was a thunk and then an indignant cry.

"You did that on purpose!" Richter screamed. It was Rick's guess that Greg had forgotten to make sure Richter didn't hit his head getting into the squad car. Whether it was intentional or not was not of importance, because the man deserved it either way.


	13. Fun and Foreplay

Rick blinked as Jess kissed him awake. "You know how hard it is to wake you up from a nap?" She asked.

"Yep." Rick replied grabbing her waist. "With my ears I've learned to sleep through almost anythin'." He grinned.

"While you probably find that useful, it is very rude to sleep through dinner." She said straightening up. "Now get up before it gets cold. We're waiting."

Rick was on his feet in a heartbeat. He followed his wife into the small dining room. Penny was on her seat patiently watching the steam rise from a bowl of mashed potatoes.

Jess took her seat and waited for him to join. When they were all seated Rick said a quick grace before reaching for the potatoes.

* * *

When they were finished Penny and the fast growing Brain tugged at his hands. "Come on dad." Penny begged. "We've got to go on a walk. If we don't Brain will be unmanageable when he gets bigger."

She gave him two green pools of adorable wistfulness. The dog whimpered beside her. He sighed and stood up. "Oh alright." He feigned exasperation as he reached for his beat up leather jacket. "You comin'?" He asked Jessica who was busy on the computer.

"You three go." She said without looking up. "I'm going to order a few things for a certain someone's birthday."

Rick's face paled. "I've told you a thousand times. I don't want nothin'." He said.

"That doesn't matter." She said with a devious smile. "You'll accept whatever I give you with a smile and gratitude and play nice." She ordered. He chuckled as he mumbled something under his breath. "I'm sorry?" Jess said placing a hand behind her ear. "I'm afraid I don't have your ability to hear snide remarks dropped under your breath."

"I jus said 'I'll play nice.'"

"That's what I thought." She said nodding.

"We'll be back, so don't take too long." Rick called before he shut the door.

Penny walked with him down the drive holding Brain's leash. The dog was already learning just who was the master of the house and who took care of him. He didn't pull on his lead at all. He'd been keen not to get a second swat for that trick.

Rick stuck his hands into his pockets as they walked. He seemed to be enjoying the crisp fall air. Winter came early in Reno. Mid-October was cold already. Rick turned his head to the right as they came to the end of the street. He couldn't hear any approaching vehicles, but it was habit to do so. His right eye was still on the mend. A month had passed since his near fatal encounter with Richter.

The whole event had come to an anticlimactic end, but he'd preferred that to another violent battle. Alex's three weeks had turned into six when she realized that Rick wasn't healing quite as quickly as she'd expected. And despite Rick's initial protest he was enjoying his break from work.

Sergeant Hanson had been more than happy to give him more time to recover.

Penny linked her arm around his and smiled up at him. He smiled back at her. If things could settle down for a little while he might actually enjoy life.

"Are you happy?" He asked.

Penny nodded. "Of course I am." She replied without hesitation.

"Do you ever wonder about anythin'?" He asked. He rarely breached the subject of where Penny came from, but she had to have some sort of thoughts about it.

"Like what?" She asked.

"Like who the people who donated your DNA are?" He said softly.

"Not really." She frowned. "I'm fine with you and Jess and Alex and Grant." She added. "I don't think about the donors as my parents. You are my Father." She pointed at him. "Jess is going to adopt me as you did. I have a mother and father like many children. I know I'm loved." She said simply. Rick was surprised by her response. She was definitely ahead of her age as McDowell had originally desired, but she was still very much a child.

"Good." He said. "I'm glad that you feel that way."

"I have a wonderful family." She hugged him suddenly and he wrapped an arm around her shoulders.

"I couldn't have asked for a better family myself." He agreed.

A few people passed them on the street, but as Rick had hoped the novelty of Inspector Gadget had worn out rather quickly. Still he had seen Jessica's artwork on a park bench recently and since had been unable to sit on it. He just couldn't do it.

The sunset blared in the distance ahead and Rick checked his watch. They'd been gone twenty minutes. If they walked slowly that should be enough time for Jessica to do whatever she was doing.

"Shall we head back?" He asked.

"Yes. I want to finish my homework." Rick chuckled. The girl liked her homework.

The walk home was quieter.

Jess was washing dishes when they stepped in. "Hey you guys," She called. "You'll never guess what I did." She said with a grin.

Penny smiled. "I think I might know."

"Of course you know." Jess replied. "You're my accomplice."

"What crimes are you two up to?" Rick asked in a pretend serious voice. "Fess up now and your punishment may be light." He waggled his eyebrows. Penny turned and ran.

"I'll never tell!" She called.

"Run, I'll be the distraction!" Jessica called after her. She turned and put her fists up. "Ok copper, you'll have to get through me first."

Rick grinned. "Then I guess we know who'll win this fight." He grabbed her wrists in a flash of movement and pulled her close. He put his forehead against hers. "Are you gonna go quietly, or do I need to persuade you?" He asked. "Just what are you smuggling into this house?"

Jess smirked. "Sorry detective, but you'll have to try harder than that. I'm a tough criminal to crack."

Rick's fingers trailed down her side tickling her. "Perhaps this will loosen your lips." He squeezed her side.

Jess giggled.

"Ah so you do have a weakness." Rick said reaching for her stomach. Jess pulled back and kissed him without warning. "You may want to watch how you loosen my lips." She whispered in his ear.

"You won't seduce me that easily." He put his hands on her shoulders. "Now start talkin'."

"Never," She whispered against his cheek. "I do have something you'd like a lot more." She trailed her finger around his ear.

Rick smiled and pulled her close. He whispered "I'd love to take a look at your evidence." He put his hand against her neck and into her hair.

"Then shall we go to my office?" Jessica put a hand against his chest pushing back. Rick winced and she sighed dropping the foreplay.

"I'm fine." He said. "I can handle a little pain." He kissed her hand. "Come on. Penny's busy with homework, and besides she's smart enough not to open a closed door."

Jess grabbed the collar of his coat and tugged him down the hall. "If you insist." She didn't want to hurt her husband. But he hadn't felt good enough for this kind of action since the attack.

Rick let her lead him to the bedroom. He shut the door behind him with a foot. She pulled the sleeves of his jacket off and threw it on the floor. Jess gently yanked Rick to the bed and spun him so that he fell back onto it.

"You've cracked your last case copper." She grinned. She quickly moved down his shirt unbuttoning it with ease.

"Have you been practicin'?" Rick asked with a raised eyebrow. She'd struggled to undo the buttons of his shirt on their honeymoon.

"Maybe." She said. She traced her finger down his now exposed chest. The staples had been removed over a week ago. But the skin was still tender and the scars still very pronounced.

Rick swallowed down a laugh and grabbed her hand. He kissed it several times before pulling her down trailing soft caresses up her arm. She climbed on the bed straddling over him. "It's good to have you back Mr. Barnes," she murmured.

"It feels good to be back Mrs. Barnes." Rick whispered back. His hands lifted up her shirt and softly crawled up her sides. They reached her bra and began unclasping it.

Jessica undid her hair and let it fall around her face as she leaned towards him and bit his lip. He let her pull back long enough to pull off her shirt. Before she could do anything else Rick had pulled her down on top of him. He kissed her good and hard then.

The next hour neither one of them knew that anything else existed in the world.

* * *

Rick gingerly put his shirt on. It was annoying how painful the healing scars still were. Jess was combing her hair with her back to him. She'd been as gentle as she could be, but Rick's body didn't know it. He'd asked for it though. Even through the now awakened pain he was still smiling.

He buttoned up his shirt and opened the bedroom door. He could hear Penny trying to teach Brain tricks in the living room. Jessica joined him, "I'll go get you your pain medication." She said a little exasperated with him.

Rick nodded slowly. "Thanks."

* * *

The prison guard glanced around anxiously. He didn't like the waiting. Once the exchange was made he could get the hell out of dodge.

He paced around the door like a caged rat. He was watching the time. Only two minutes. It would be a long two minutes. His charge was grinning.

"Come now." The gravelly British voice whispered. "My men won't stiff you."

"It's not your men I'm worried about. I don't want to get caught. It would be the end of your escape and my life." The guard replied.

"They'll get here in time." The big man said. He raised his left hand. "I swear it.

The others won't catch you."

The guard just nodded and kept up watching for the unmarked van. He lit a cigarette and took a long drag. The nicotine calmed him and he relaxed a little bit.

An engine in the distance made both men turn to the left. Sure enough some shadowy form with no lights on came careening up.

The guard tensed and took several steps back. He just wanted his pay off and the time to run.

The van came to a screeching halt in front of them. The prisoner climbed in as the side door was slid open.

A gun barrel stuck out of the window and a single shot rang out. The cigarette fell to the ground still smoldering. A few minutes after the van had disappeared into the night the pooling blood quenching the burning end.


	14. Birthdays

Gerald Richter was asleep when a voice reached his ears. "Hey Richter."

It was a guard. But there was something off about his clothes. The prison guards wore strict uniforms and while in the dark it looked the same this guard was different. He was holding a gun. A big automatic pistol with a silencer on the muzzle.

"You disappointed Claw." The man whispered. Richter recognized the voice. It was Abernathy's personal hit man. The assassin no one had ever heard of.

"I tried everything." Richter pleaded. He'd done everything he could. Tried a series of different methods in one shot. "He's not human. He can't be killed."

"Maybe not by you." The assassin replied. "Enough about your failure. I don't have time for goodbyes." His green eyes were illuminated by a flash of light from the window and then there was a muffled clap. Richter's chest suddenly exploded with pain and blood splattered everywhere for a moment he stood in shock before the pain and the damage kicked in.

He fell forward onto his bed. His eyes rolling back as his last breath escaped jaggedly.

The fake guard was already on his way out. He was smiling as he went. There was a bloodlust in his eyes and a frenzied haste to his step.

* * *

Rick looked at his right eye. He'd finally dared a long look at it and to his surprise it was almost healed. However there was a slight discoloration in the form of a small straight line that started at the right corner of his eye and merged with his grey iris. Grant was pretty sure that there would be some sort of scar tissue. Even on the eye.

Rick's vision was back to normal. It felt good to be able to look at himself with both eyes.

He tilted his head up and ever so carefully brought the little prescription dropper above his eye. He barely squeezed and felt the drop splash his eye. He blinked several times in reaction. Rick would have liked to keep the patch off, but he knew that it would wait until Grant stopped by later.

If Grant thought his eye was ready for action Rick would be free from his half-sight. It was annoying having to turn his head so much to talk to people.

Once his right eye was covered he looked at the rest of his healing body. His torso was still a battlefield of pink sensitive tissue, but at least there were no more staples or stitches. Rick looked at his face. Not only were the new scars almost gone but he could see almost no trace of the long jagged mark Abernathy had left on the left side of his face.

Everything was working out just fine. Today also happened to be his birthday. October 27th. He was officially thirty-nine years old. He didn't feel that old though. Alex had warned that perhaps the biggest side effect of cybernetics was to slow the aging process. Especially when there were a lot put into one person. His face had barely aged in the decade since.

But he wasn't upset by this. He knew that Penny would probably long outlive most normal people. Jessica was seven years his junior. And though he worried about her he was certain that if anything did ever happen to her Alex would be there in a heartbeat with a circuit and her handheld.

He buttoned up the soft blue shirt and tucked it into his jeans. He didn't like slacks. Pants like that were for city men.

Rick strode through the hall ready to greet the day no matter what Jessica had planned for his birthday. He hated people making a fuss over him. He really did.

So when he entered the kitchen to find it filled with a breakfast feast he knew that it was going to be a long day. He wasn't even forty yet. Maybe then he'd indulge in a little noise made over his age.

Penny popped out from behind the table. "Happy Birthday Daddy!" She yelled.

Rick smiled at her as she offered him a large box wrapped in green paper. "I don't suppose this is for me?" He asked.

"Of course it is." She said bouncing on her toes. "Go ahead and open it."

Rick set it on an empty corner of the table and slowly peeled away the paper. "Where's Jess?" He asked.

"She'll be here soon." Penny winked at him.

He unwrapped the paper meticulously for the fun of dragging out the moment. Penny was twitching anxiously. She wanted to see her father's reaction to whatever gift he was about to receive. The box was unmarked without the paper and he opened it to find two smaller boxes within. He chuckled. "You probably think this is funny." He said to her. She nodded excitedly giggling.

Rick picked up the largest box and opened it. Inside was a framed sketch. The sketch was of him, and extremely detailed. He looked at Penny. "Did you draw this?" He asked.

She nodded. "Yes, we were supposed to draw one of our parents. Most everybody drew their mothers." Rick was impressed.

"I'm flattered." He said with a grin, "I'm guessin' Jess had it framed?"

"Actually my art teacher Mr. Hayes." She answered. "He wants to put it up in the display case for the next year."

"Are you goin' to let him?" Rick asked  
"I want to, but I wanted you to see it first." Penny admitted.

"Thank you." Rick said. He opened the other box and lifted out a stack of DVDs. They were some of his favorites. Among them were _Indiana Jones _and _Ferris Bueler's Day Off. _

"Is this a hint?" He asked. "That you two are makin' sure I relax?" Penny nodded that mischievous smile on her face. "I thought so." He gave her a hug, "Thanks."

"You're welcome." The girl was smiling proudly.

At this time Jess walked into the kitchen. "Good morning." She said. "And Happy Birthday." She gave him a kiss.

"I hope this is all you have planned for today." He said hopeful.

"Come one Rick, live a little." She replied. "Don't worry about the rest of the day. Let's just eat breakfast and see where things go from there."

Rick agreed with her, but he knew she was up to something.

The rest of the day was spent watching movies. Grant came by and gave Rick the ok to take the patch off his eye. For dinner Jess blindfolded Rick and took him to his favorite restaurant. Texas Roadhouse was busy but she'd made reservations.

Dinner was long and filled with lots of general discussion. Hopes of maybe taking an official vacation somewhere out of state, Jessica voiced a hope that Penny wouldn't be an only child anymore, and some decisions about school for Penny.

The girl would have a chance to take a high school entrance exam in the next year and a half. Penny would be awfully young, but they all knew that she probably needed it.

As the evening came to a close Rick drove home and listened to Jess and Penny talk about how much fun it would be to have another child in the house. Maybe a baby boy who they could dress up in little suits and bowties.

He couldn't deny that he too had thought along those lines. He had never really expected himself to be a family man, but he couldn't deny how much he enjoyed it. To come home to someone who missed you and needed you everyday was a lot better than an empty apartment with nothing but some phone messages to greet you.

Jessica turned to him, "You haven't said one word, are you ok?" The worry in her eyes made him smile.

"Course not," He replied keeping his eyes on the road, "I've been enjoyin' the conversation between the two of you."

"Does that mean you want to have more kids?" Penny asked eagerly. She'd obviously been a little lonely over the years. Brain had gotten so much attention from her that it had made Rick wonder if she needed more people around.

"You could say that." He replied. Jessica smiled.

"Good because that's what I'd like to do." Jess said.

"Alright then, looks like we've got a plan." Rick said pulling into the drive. Penny raced out as soon as the car stopped.

Jessica kissed him before they got out of the car. "You mean it?" She searched his eyes.

Rick nodded slowly, "I've been thinkin' that it might be a good idea, for all of us. I didn't know Penny was so eager to have a sibling."

"This was supposed to be your birthday, but here you are telling me the best thing I've heard in weeks."

"I've had enough gifts for my birthday." Rick said.

He opened his door. "Penny's waitin' on us." He said climbing out. Jess hurried out with him.


	15. Life and Death

Walter had no time to waste. He hurried to Sheriff Anderson's office. He didn't even knock on the closed door. He walked into the middle of a conversation Jessica was holding with the Sheriff.

"Walter?" Jess asked a little concerned. She knew the FBI Agent had more manners than that.

"No time to explain." He said breathlessly. "Abernathy has escaped and we want to know if we can get Rick to help us out again. He's the only one strong enough to face him. Besides that we think he's heading out this way. Perhaps to take revenge on Detective Barnes."

Anderson's anger melted. "Barnes is still on doctor ordered leave."

"Lawrence said she'd revoke it for Abernathy." Walter replied.

"How did he get free?" Jessica asked now worried and pale. She wasn't feeling very well. In fact she felt dizzy. This morning she had felt nauseous but it had faded away and now she needed to sit down. She took a chair and tried to relax.

"We think a guard was promised a pay off to get him to a specific location. But when Abernathy's ride showed up the guard was killed." Walter answered.

Anderson looked at Walter and the look in the agent's eyes was so dark that there was no way he could say no. "Go ahead."

"Thank you." Walter said. As he headed back for the door a sudden shattering of glass made everyone spin towards the window. A brick had been thrown into the office. Anderson looked out the gaping hole in his glass right into the barrel of a shotgun.

There was an ear splitting explosion and then a dazzling splash of crimson against the wall and desk. Sheriff Jeremy Anderson was dead.

Walter tackled Jessica to the ground as a second shot rang out. Buckshot flew around them grazing their shoulders as they fell in a heap. Walter heard the gunman reloading and popped up his own handgun already out. He fired at the middle-aged man with light brown hair and hazel eyes. The man turned and ran.

Walter helped Jessica up and looked at her bleeding shoulder. "Are you ok?" He asked. His own arm was bleeding in a few places.

"I'm fine," She said through tears looking at Anderson. "But what about the Sheriff?" She asked.

"There's nothing we could have done." Walter said. By now sirens and officers were approaching.

* * *

Though Jessica begged them to let her sister check her out the paramedics took a good look at her. They made sure she wasn't hiding any other injuries and a rather experienced male paramedic pulled her aside. "Congratulations on your pregnancy." He said.

Jessica looked at him stunned. "What?" She asked. The horror of watching Anderson get shot was fading as hope bubbled up inside of her. The gleam in her eyes begged for the truth.

"You don't know? You aren't very far along, but you're far enough for someone who knows these things to figure it out." He said smiling.

"Oh thank you!" She hugged him. "I can't wait to tell my husband." She said pulling back.

_It's a couple days late, but Penny will love to hear that she's getting a sibling for her birthday. _Jess thought to herself. She turned away from the bed with the full body bag as it passed her.

The moment was bittersweet.

Rick was at the precinct a few minutes later an expression of complete sorrow on his face. "Are you alright?" He asked as he hugged her tightly.

"Yes," She replied. "Oh Rick it was awful. One shot and then he was gone." She murmured against his chest. Now wasn't the time for an announcement. Not when there was death and tragedy all around them.

"I'm sorry you had to see it. I'm also glad Walter was here, you might have been lost too." Rick said into her hair.

"He did save my life," Jess agreed.

"Hey Rick," Walter began gently.

"Yeah?" Rick asked looking up.

"The guy that shot Anderson was definitely one of Abernathy's men. I saw his face in the files we picked up in Wichita."

Rick's eyes darkened. "Are you sure?"

"I'm positive. We traced him to Reno just this week. My theory that Abernathy is trying to get revenge on you was correct." His face grew solemn with these words.

Jessica shuddered in her husband's arms.

* * *

It was two days before Jessica could tell Rick the good news. "Rick, I found something out the other day." She began quietly.

"What?" He asked setting his coffee mug down. "You can tell me."

"When the paramedic looked me over he noticed something." She said her voice raising a bit.

"What did he notice?" Rick asked slightly worried. He hated it when she didn't just come forward with whatever she had to say.

"Rick," She began smiling, "I'm pregnant."

At first he panicked, then he realized this was good news. He jumped up from his seat and grabbed her. "Honestly?" He asked looking into her eyes.

"Oh Rick it's true. I took a test just this morning." She said beaming.

Penny came in and looked at them. "What's all the excitement?" She asked.

The two looked at each other and then grinned at her. "You'll have to guess." They said in unison.

Penny looked at them and thought about what they had recently been discussing. A huge smile spread over her face and her green eyes lit with joy. "I'm going to be a sister?" She asked incredulously.

"Yes." Jessica said excitedly. "I just found out."

Penny hugged her. "I'm so happy." She exclaimed.

Rick grinned. Even in the midst of all this tragedy there was still joy because life still went on.

* * *

It wasn't three days later that terror struck again. Rick was working on a lead he and Walter had picked up. The five and a half weeks of Rick's mandatory recovery had come to a bitter end. It was only their luck that Abernathy was creating trouble for them again. And as Walter had suggested it seemed that he was out for vengeance.

Jessica was home alone. Penny wa friend's house. She'd be back after dinner.

Jess was humming a tune as she worked on some new sketches. These ones were plans for a nursery. She had different ideas depending on the gender, but it was going to be her special touch.

Brain began to bark and ran towards the door. Jess stood up wondering who it could be. Her family wasn't expected for a few more hours. Alex would have called her before dropping by.

She slowly walked towards the living room. Before she even stepped into the hall she heard the door groan under pressure. Jess raced down the hall to the master bedroom. She opened up a drawer and grabbed Rick's gun. He always kept a spare in with his shirts.

She took the safety off and made sure it was loaded. Carrying the small revolver pistol she went to the bedroom door and closed it. After doing this she pulled her cell-phone from her pocket and dialed Rick's number.

If she needed she'd call his private number. The one that Alex had paid a pretty penny for. She knew Rick didn't like it, but at least if she ever needed to she could call him and if his hand vibrating didn't get his attention than he was oblivious.

There was no answer. She hadn't expected much more. Rick rarely took a phone call if he was in a briefing.

She dialed 911 then. The operator was a female. "This is Jessica Barnes address 4750 Lemmon Valley Dr there's someone trying to break into my house. I'm alone and armed with a pistol."

'Are you certain there is an intruder?' The operator asked. Jess opened the door and Brain who had been cowering by it raced inside. She listened and heard footsteps on the wooden floors.

"Yes, I can hear footsteps." Jess answered.

"Alright, dispatching a squad car right now. They should be at your location in less than five minutes. If the intruder finds you and attacks you remember you have a loaded gun in your hands. Don't hang up and just keep calm.'

The operator was calm. "Thank you." Jess whispered.

The footsteps grew louder and then she heard a can of spray paint being shaken. After a moment she heard the hiss of an aerosol can.

"I know you're in there." A voice whispered. "Now come out like a good little girl and I won't drag it out."

Jessica didn't say a word. She stuck the phone in her pocket still connected and clamped a hand around Brain's muzzle. The gun she raised towards the door. If he came charging in she would fill him with lead.

She wished Alex and Grant were home, but the two were on a trip for their cybernetics. The medical world was eating out of the palms of their hands. They'd cracked the barrier. Cybernetics were getting a serious research deal.


End file.
